For anyone with a toddler in their life, you know cars are more than just vehicles; they’re a central theme in a young child’s universe. From spotting buses on the street to the thrill of toy cars, the fascination is real. If you’re looking to fuel that passion and create a special play space, a DIY quilted play mat is the perfect project. Building on our Part I guide, where we prepped our quilt base and adorable wool felt appliqués of houses, trees, and of course, cars and school buses, we’re now diving into Part II: finishing your custom car play mat.
In this second part of our tutorial, we’ll focus on the crucial steps to bring your play mat to life. You’ll learn how to expertly attach your wool appliqués to the quilted base using a beautiful and durable blanket stitch. This technique not only secures each Applique Car Part and house firmly but also adds a charming, handcrafted detail to your project. Get ready to master the blanket stitch and complete a play mat that will be treasured for years!
Before we get started, let’s quickly recap what we covered in Part I:
- Wool Felt Appliqué Templates: We provided templates for houses, cars, trees, a school, and a school bus.
- Appliqué Creation Instructions: Detailed steps for crafting your wool appliqué shapes.
- Fabric Selection Tips: Guidance on choosing the right fabrics, emphasizing the benefits of 100% wool felt.
- Appliqué Placement Advice: Considerations for deciding whether to appliqué directly onto the quilt top or after the quilting is complete.
Now, in Part II, we’re moving onto the exciting phase of assembly and finishing. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get started!
DIY Quilted Play Mat Part 2: Attaching Appliqués and Finalizing
This comprehensive tutorial is divided into three parts to guide you through every step of creating your DIY quilted play mat.
- Part I: Creating the Base and Appliqués: Learn how to quilt the base using the Fishing Net pattern and prepare your wool appliqué pieces, including houses, trees, and each applique car part.
- Part II: Attaching Appliqués and Finishing: This section focuses on securely attaching your wool appliqués to the quilt and completing your play mat with a professional finish.
For a complete list of materials required for this project, including the Fishing Net quilt pattern and wool felt for appliqués, please refer back to Part I of this tutorial series. You’ll also find links to purchase materials and helpful supplies within the instructions below.
Explore More Quilt Patterns!
Maypole Quilt Pattern (Download) – $14.00 – Add to cart
Adventureland Quilt Pattern (Download) – $14.00 – Add to cart
Triangle Jitters Quilt Pattern (Download) – $13.00 – Add to cart
Sugar POP Quilt Pattern (Download) – $14.00 – Add to cart
Campfire Quilt Pattern (Download) – $14.00 – Add to cart
Shine Quilt Pattern (Download) – $14.00 – Add to cart
Holiday Party Quilt Pattern (Download) – $15.00 – Add to cart
Thrive Quilt Pattern (Download) – $14.00 – Add to cart
Mod Mountains Quilt Pattern (Download) – $14.00 – Add to cart
Appliqué work can be incredibly therapeutic, especially when you’re crafting something special for a child. By the end of this guide, you’ll be confident in using the blanket stitch, and attaching each applique car part and other elements will be a breeze.
Step 1: Finalize Your Wool Appliqué Layout
This step is arguably the most enjoyable part of the process, aside from seeing a child happily playing on the finished mat!
The Fishing Net pattern is exceptionally well-suited for a play mat because its intersecting lines naturally create roads. For my design, I decided to place the appliqué cars adjacent to houses, simulating driveways, rather than directly on the roads. This allows for unobstructed movement of toy cars on the ‘roadways’. However, many play mats feature cars directly on the roads – there’s no right or wrong way!
As shown in the images, I made specific choices regarding the arrangement of my appliqué shapes. I grouped all the trees in the central squares to form a park area.
For the larger horizontal rectangles, I paired cars and houses, playing with color combinations and alternating their placement for visual appeal.
Lastly, to ensure the play mat looked correct from multiple angles, I oriented half of the houses and cars in one direction and the other half in the opposite direction.
Consider adding stop or yield signs using red and yellow felt if desired. Personally, I opted for a set of wooden traffic signs instead. These are movable, adding an interactive element to playtime, and saved me extra appliqué work!
Step 2: Prepare Your Appliqué Pieces for Stitching
In Part I, you created your wool appliqués: houses, cars, trees, a school, and a school bus. We used a whip stitch to layer and secure the felt pieces together. Now, as we attach these shapes to the quilt base, we’ll make a few adjustments to our approach.
If you haven’t yet ordered your 100% Bellwether wool felt from Benzie Design, remember to use code SUZYQUILTS2021 for 10% off your entire purchase until the end of 2021! This code also applies to DMC embroidery floss.
The first change is how we temporarily secure the appliqués to the quilt. In Part I, I suggested a temporary glue pen. For this stage, I found appliqué pins more effective due to the larger and thicker appliqué pieces. However, if you prefer glue, feel free to continue using it!
The main difference is the stitch we’ll use. While we used a whip stitch for layering felt in Part I, we’ll now employ a blanket stitch. This stitch creates a stronger, more decorative seam, ensuring your applique car part and other pieces stay firmly attached, even with enthusiastic play!
Step 3: Attaching Appliqué Shapes Using a Blanket Stitch
The blanket stitch brings a beautiful, artisanal touch to wool appliqué. It requires patience, but the result is well worth the effort! If you’re already familiar with this stitch, you can jump right in. If not, this step-by-step guide is for you.
For a visual guide, check out this helpful video tutorial from Benzie Design!
DMC embroidery thread consists of six strands. For this step, when cutting a length of about 20″, separate it to use just two strands.
To begin your first stitch, bring the needle up from the back of the fabric. Then, insert the needle down through both the wool appliqué and the quilt fabric, approximately 1/8″ from the edge of the wool, as shown.
TIP: Whenever possible, stitch the blanket stitch over the whip stitches from Part I for a cleaner finish!
Angle your needle upwards, pointing the tip up through the fabric towards the edge of the wool appliqué.
Here’s where the blanket stitch magic happens! Instead of completing the stitch, bring your thread around the top of the needle and tuck it behind the needle, as pictured.
Now, pull the needle through, and you’ll see the blanket stitch beginning to form!
Continue pulling, ensuring this loop is visible.
Almost there!
Give the thread a gentle tug to settle the blanket stitch flat against the wool appliqué edge. Repeat this process around the entire applique car part shape until it’s securely attached to your quilt.
To save time, I minimized thread changes, opting for one thread color per appliqué shape, usually a darker coordinating shade. The only exception was the black for car and bus wheels. However, if you prefer perfectly matching thread, feel free to change colors for each felt section!
Time to Play with Your DIY Quilted Play Mat!
Once you’ve attached all your wool felt appliqué shapes, including every applique car part, grab some toy cars and find a toddler! It’s time to witness your hard work turn into playtime joy. Your DIY quilted play mat is now complete and ready for adventures!
