This baby play mat is an easy sewing project that makes a perfect nesting project or a shower gift. It’s best to use fabric that is high contrast and has lots of interesting pictures to look at.
2026 Update: I first shared this DIY play mat pattern years ago when my kids were small — it’s still a favorite for creative parents! These days, my focus has shifted to Airbnb design and hosting tips. If you love creating beautiful, functional spaces, check out my latest post: 10 Easy Ways to Create an Eco-Friendly Airbnb.
Now on to the tutorial! This baby playmat has quilted ‘elements’ but the actual quilting is very minimal. To ‘quilt’ you pick out 10-20 and hand stitch directly onto the batting. This simply stitches the top layer onto the batting and everything is held nicely together.
Why You’ll Love This DIY Baby Play Mat
This baby play mat is an easy sewing project that makes a wonderful nesting project or baby shower gift. It’s simple to sew, completely washable, and folds up neatly for travel. Choose a high-contrast printed fabric with interesting images—My baby absolutely loves finding the animals on her play mat. She is now 14 months and is still thrilled with her play mat. We play a game of ‘find the animals’ or pointing to the different objects to learn new words. I plan to put the playmat into a corner for a padded reading nook once she is a bit older.
DIY Baby Play Mat Materials
- 1 yard of printed black and white fabric in cotton, Spoonflower has cute options like here or this
- 1 yard of fabric in cotton for bottom stars pattern-Adorable!
- 1 package of double-fold quilt binding bias tape 7/8in wide
- 1 package of quilt batting
- Parchment paper
- Sharp fabric scissors
- Fabric pen (disappearing ink works best)
- Sewing machine
🧺 Pro Tip: Pre-wash both fabrics to prevent shrinkage before sewing.
DIY Baby Play Mat Instructions
- Layer the top fabric, the quilting batting, and bottom layer like a sandwich, and smooth out any wrinkles.
- Make the circle template by using the folded quarter circle tutorial here.
- Tape the parchment paper together to make one big sheet. I usually cut 3 feet of parchment paper, 3 times, and tape them together.
- Place the circle template on the layers of fabric and batting, and draw onto the fabric with your fabric pen.
- Place a few pins around the inside edge of the circle and carefully cut out your circle with scissors.
6. Pin together the top layer and the batting and baste loosely around the inner edge.
7. Now is the fun part! Double thread your needle and pick out different designs on the playmat (owl, airplane, mountain etc) and hand sew the outlines to the batting. This secures the top layer to the batting and gives that puffy quilted look. (10- 20 is enough)
8. Continue quilting until you have a balance of quilted elements around the play mat.
a DIY baby play mat being sewn
9. Check the back of the white batting to see where you may need to do more quilting.
10. Smooth out and place the fabric bottom layer onto the batting side. Pin together and baste loosely around the edges.
11. Open up your bias tape and pin all around the edge of your play mat. Sew a line on top of the first folded line on the tape (which is still visible from when it was all folded together) this is about a 1/2 inch in from the edge.
a cute DIY baby play mat that babies love
12. Sew the first side of the bias tape around the playmat, then trim around the playmat edge with sharp scissors where needed ( I found sometimes some batting squishes out in places) Turn the bias tape over and sew closed. Here is a great bias tape tutorial if needed.
FAQ: DIY Baby Play Mat Pattern (2025)
Q: What’s the best fabric for a baby play mat?
A: Choose soft, breathable cotton. High-contrast black and white prints stimulate visual development.
Q: Can I machine wash my play mat?
A: Yes! Wash cold on a delicate cycle and tumble dry low.
Q: How big should my baby play mat be?
A: Around 36 inches in diameter is ideal—big enough for playtime but easy to fold.
Q: I’m new to sewing—can beginners make this?
A: Absolutely! The steps are simple, and you’ll practice basic stitching, cutting, and binding.
Q: Where can I find unique fabric prints?
A: Check out Spoonflower for one-of-a-kind designer fabrics.
That’s it you’re done your DIY baby play mat! I’d love to hear your comments and hope your baby enjoys this mat as much as mine has! Thanks to share! If you enjoy home projects like this, you’ll love my book about for designing stylish Airbnb spaces — here’s how to create a welcoming setup.
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4 Comments
Sarah
February 4, 2019 at 2:54 PMI love the idea! Can I ask where did you get the fabric? It’s adorable!
Andrea
February 6, 2019 at 10:56 AMHi! The fabric was a leftover piece I had from IKEA and it says 2011 on the seam. They may have something cute at ikea:) The star fabric on the underside i designed and you can find it through the spoon flower link. Happy sewing!
alyssa
March 6, 2019 at 7:52 PMIf you want to make it larger than a 36″ diameter, how would you purchase the fabric to do so?
Andrea
March 7, 2019 at 11:02 PMIf your circle is larger than the fabric width, you have a few options, you could find a fabric with a wider width or you could could sew the fabric into large strips until it reaches the length you need to cut a larger circle. A standard 36” circle uses the least amount of fabric and it’s a great size for a baby.