I Spy Quilted Play Mat

At the beginning of the summer I decided I'd like to make an I Spy Play mat for the kids. For those of you who have never heard of such a thing, an I Spy quilt or play mat is simply a large assortment of printed fabric with which children can play I Spy. For example, I spy a green lizard or I spy a striped umbrella.

I didn't have nearly enough different materials in my fabric stash, so I sent out a few emails to fellow crafters. My Aunt Linda, a quilter, sent me a package full of fabric scraps that worked perfectly for this project. I also received a lot of the fabrics from Tim's Mom, or Maw as we call her. (Thank you both so much!!)

After a few days of planning and a lot of cutting, I started piecing together the top of the playmate. I decided to make the finished squares 3 1/2 inches and to sew them into a 9 square by 9 square play mat.


This past week I sewed the majority of them together. I still have to attach the top row of squares, but I'm waiting on the top left square. I'd like to get a plain piece of fabric and embroider a magnifying glass and the words "I Spy..."

So far, I'm very happy with how this play mat is turning out, especially since this is my first time doing any type of patchwork or quilting.

There are a few places where the corners of the squares don't line up exactly, but they are so few that I can very easily live with them.

Emahry already likes playing with the quilt, even though it's not finished. She's pretty good at finding the things I spy, but hasn't quite grasped the concept of getting me to look for things.

Here are a few links if you'd like more information or inspiration to make your own I Spy Quilt.

Mini I Spy Quilts :: Make and Takes

I Spy Quilts on Flickr

I Spy Quilt :: The Thrifty Home

You can even buy packages of pre-cut I Spy quilt squares online at Etsy.

I'd love to hear what you think about I Spy quilts. I'd also love to read about your latest crafting adventures.