Ross's Grand Prix playmat

We just mailed off this present to our three-year-old nephew, Ross. He celebrated a birthday last month in the midst of our packing and moving, so he had to wait for this. I'm glad it's done and I'm pleased with the results. It's a toy that Ross can take with him anywhere--to the doctor's office, shopping trips, and long car rides.

I can see him now....zooming his cars along the road for some super fun!

This was in the brain works for a long time. With ideas from Q as well as some cake decorating websites, this car play mat was put together. 

Take a look....

Ross can race his cars on this portable grand prix play mat. The backing is flannel that features race cars. Everything else was made from felt. Each piece was sewn on. I used fabric paint for the title, the flags and the lines on the track. It measures 17 1/2 by 21 1/2 inches. It was fairly easy to make. It just required time to draw things out, measure and some patience for sewing on all those tiny stars!

The "grass" was made by cutting long strips of green felt using pinking shears. The strips were sewn on before placing the track on top of it. Then, the sets of checkered flags were sewn in.

When the mat is folded, this is what it looks like. I folded the bottom to the top, then did a tri-fold. Before sewing the flannel backing to the main felt piece, I made this set of pockets and sewed it on. It's for Ross to store three of his favorite cars. We included two brand new Hot Wheels cars, so he can add a third one to this set. The pocket piece measures 8 1/4 by 4 1/4 inches when the flaps are down. I cut slits on the flap for the hand-sewn buttons to go through.

I placed a couple velcro strips to hold it in place. It's easy, portable and loads of a fun for a young child. 

Can't wait to hear how he likes it! :)