Travel Felt Play mat

Before Christmas, when I actually thought I'd make my kids mostly homemade gifts, I came across this idea to make roll up play mats.  Coincidentally, Hazel was getting 7 plastic Hello Kitty dolls for Christmas and she already had two.  The two came in a plastic travel case/play house (which broke days before I got this idea).  I didn't have enough time to make it for Christmas, but I decided it would be worth it to make one before our big trip home to give her something to do on the plane.

First, I cut out six squares of fabric measuring 11" by 11" (3 pieces of felt, 3 pieces of cotton fabric). I sewed three pieces together to make the back (between two of them, I added a piece of bag strap to make a handle).  I sewed on a Hello Kitty button of course to keep it closed when she's not using it.

The remaining three pieces were for the front play area.  I decided to make a bedroom, a playground, and an eating area for her kitties to play in.  I alternated between fabric and felt on the front and then the opposite for the backside.  First, I cut out squares of fabric and sewed them on to make the beds (perfect use for cute scraps you just can't bear to part with).  Then, I used felt for the table and playground.  Once all the "accessories" were sewn onto the pieces, I sewed them together:

Then, since her original plastic box had a few pieces of kitty furniture that we couldn't part with, on the backing pieces, I made a pocket.  First, on the back of the felt, I sewed on a zipper, with its front facing the back of the felt backing:

Then, I cut out another piece of felt and sewed it on over the zipper, it was a rectangle shape and not even edges, who cares, felt doesn't fray and Hazel will never know.

I turned it over and just cut out a tiny rectangle of fabric between the stitches, to expose the zipper:

Look inside:

Then, I cut out a piece of scrap very thin quilt batting the size of the three squares sewn together and laid it down.  I put the front piece on top of it, facing up, then I put the backing on, with it facing the front of the top:

I pinned a hair tie in the center of one of the side edges (to use as a latch to close it).  I pinned all the edges down and sewed around the whole thing, leaving a four inch opening.

After sewing, I pulled the whole thing right side out through the opening, then pinned it closed, and sewed around the edges to give it a more finished look.

Nine little kitties all snug in their beds:

Waiting for their dinner:

Swinging on the swing:

Hanging out at the park, we have a slide, hopscotch, a bench to hang out, a pond, a trampoline, a tree for picnicking under, and a swing.

And, maybe the zipper pocket is her favorite part of "Kittyland".

It all folds up nicely, holds the toys, and is a great size for a small suitcase, or for bringing with you when you need to go somewhere where you need something to keep a little person busy.

All rolled up and ready to go: