I have been almost too absorbed in reading all the posts for Indie Pattern Month, following down different rabbit holes of not-yet-known-to-me pattern companies, that I have barely had time to sew! I particularly love all the bags that are on display this week – very inspiring.
This project came about as a series of rather fortunate accidents, and it is yet another serendipitous moment that I’ve managed to finish it in time for week two of Indie Pattern Month.
It started because I suddenly found myself halfway through Sewing Club with two hours to go and all my current projects finished! That has never happened before (and probably never will again). I popped out to the local fabric shop and chanced upon this lovely printed strawberry cotton canvas remnant and some soft, cuddly sky-blue brushed cotton. So I spent the remainder of my Sewing Club afternoon cutting out the pieces for the So Sew Easy Baby Changing Mat. This is a great (free!) pattern with instructions that are clear and very easy to follow – I actually made one of these two years ago on the day I went into labour with baby number one!
That Sewing Club was the last before the summer holidays – as we had some exciting beach holidays planned, I knew that my time in front of a sewing machine was going to be limited.
Looking at the rather plain (but so soft!) brushed cotton, I decided to sketch out a strawberry plant design to embroider while I was on holidays – a great little project that could be carried anywhere, and pulled out whenever we were in the car for long drives, or sat under an umbrella by the sea (and boy was it a fabulous summer!). My embroidery skills are limited, to say the least – but despite only really using lots of satin stitch and few French knots later, I’m really pleased with how it turned out.
Summertime embroidery – a great portable project for the holidays
Now that summer is over, I’ve finally managed to find some time to sew everything together! I used a lovely thick cotton/poly batting between the outer canvas and the inner brushed cotton to make a nice, comfy mat for baby’s bottom.
The pattern calls for vinyl to make a wipe-clean surface. I previously used an iron-on vinyl that worked really well, until I came to need to wash the change mat, and the vinyl all came unstuck! Although I like the idea of wipe-clean plastic for baby change mats, my baby seemed to need a completely washable change mat (not just wipe-down!) – the mess got everywhere! Therefore this time I kept things easy and washable with just the cotton canvas, batting, and brushed cotton.
I had a ‘helper’ for some of the sewing – can I blame the distraction as the reason for why I initially sewed the pockets on backwards?!
My sewing ‘helper’!
If I had concentrated, I probably could have sewn this change mat in an hour or two – but the unpicking was a bit of a pain.
The only other change I made to the pattern was to use a piece of cord instead of elastic for the closure. I was so pleased to find the big blue button in my box – who knows how long that has been in there?
Here are some photos of how it unfolds:
A big blue button
Soft inner brushed cotton
Just needs a baby on top!
I love this changing mat – it is big enough to hold a few nappies and some wipes, but folds up small enough to be about the size of a laptop – so easily fits in a backpack or a baby bag. It would make a terrific new baby gift.
Thank you, TMS, for a great line-up of challenges this month – now I’m off to put my feet up before baby number two arrives (thankfully still a few weeks away!).
x Veuve Stitches x
The Monthly Stitch 
This is really cute and seems practical to use on the go. I always carried around disposable changing mats, this would have been much cuter. At this stage in my life, I really don’t need one, though, but maybe as a gift to new parents.
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It really makes a neat gift – and is a quick and easy sew, so I’d recommend it for any new parents!
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