This Christmas, my husband and I decided we wanted to have a homemade Christmas. He made me few awesome items for around the home. I also made a few items for our family members.
This past summer we bought 45 lb. of legos. Let's be honest. It's a bit of a bear to clean all those up when it comes time. I did some research and found a number of Lego mat's on the internet. There were a ton of different ways to do it, but this is what worked for me.
Making a Lego Mat for yourself is actually quite easy. Make sure you use a hardy fabric. Home Dec fabric should do nicely. I picked up fabric from Ikea. I picked the cheapest strongest fabric I could, that was still pretty cute. I got it for about $4.99/yard, and the width was 59". Here's where you can learn from my mistake. I didn't measure before I bought. I just thought 2 yards would be plenty. I was wrong. It was enough for one side, but I wanted my mat to be double sided, and have a little extra heft. Anyway, think about how much fabric you will really need.
1. calculate needed yardage: figure out the circumference of the mat you want to make (you can make it to your specifications). Then double it. Then divide the inches you need by 36", to find the yardage you need. Add an extra half or yard, so you can put the edge on the mat later.
2. cut the circle. Mark the circle first. Do this by tying a marker to a string. Holding the string on the fold, and mark a half circle, as shown in the illustration. Cut on the line. Cut 2. one for the inside, and one for the outside.
3. Make the Border. The Border holds the rope. Depending on the size of your mat, the border will be different.
*Measure the circumference of the mat, plan to make a border, about 4" short of that circumference. The border will be added to each side of the circle, leave two small openings, opposite of each other...for the rope.
*Cut the needed strips in 8" widths. (you definitely could do this smaller, but nothing smaller than 3", but I wanted a thicker border).
*Piece the Border end to end, to get the desired length.
*At the end of each border piece, fold and sew each end, to finish it off.
4. Put the rope in the border. Cut 2 lengths of rope. Each about 2" bigger than the circumference of the circle. To attach the ends of the rope you can tie a knot, or sew a little fabric onto each end.
* place the rope, following the illustration. Each rope circle should follow the circumference of the circle. With the end of one rope coming from one opening, and the other rope, coming from the other opening.
5. Fold the border in half, lengthwise, and pin the unfolded edge to the outside of the circle. Make sure the open portions, the parts of the circle without a border, are opposite each other.
6. Using a 5/8" seam, sew the border onto the right side of the circle. I used a serger, to make this a little stronger. But if you are using a sewing machine, I would use a straight stitch, followed by a zig zag. The kids will really be pulling on this, having it be strong will be your friend.
7. You're almost done! (and so am I...) Now, put both circles right sides together, and sew together as you did in step six. Make sure to keep the rope from the seams. Leave about 6" unseen, so you can turn the mat right side out.
8. Turn the mat right side out, and sew the opening closed, making sure to secure each end of your sewing.
9. YOU'RE DONE. Now put those little legos in there, and never step on one and cry again.
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