Skip to main content

How To: A Fun Gift for a Toddler: Montessori Placemat

I love the world of flickr. In fact, although I don't currently upload pictures to it, I can just stare at craft photos and artsy photos all day long, gleaning inspiration that could grow its own flowers. Alas, I only have about an hour per day on the internet, during naptime, if nothing else needs to be done. So instead of flickr, I check my blogroll, and look at some of my favorite bloggers' current craft projects.
One of my favorites whom I linked to awhile ago, Sew Liberated (formerly Montessori By Hand) is a member of this Montessori flickr group, and from it I am always finding things I want to make the kids. The homemade items are practical and beautifully made, and seemingly simple, too. This Montessori Placemat struck me as a perfect gift idea for a friend's baby turning 1. Within about an hour, from start to finish, I sewed it up, and I made enough cut-outs for a placemat for the Bug, too (hoping it will be done for his 2nd birthday, next Sunday!)
I wanted it to look a bit older than "baby", so I jazzed up the placemat with actual traced cut-outs of a knife, spoon, and fork (child sized) and picked some printed fabric instead of embroidering it. I ironed on some adhesive to the back, cut them out, stuck them on, and went over them on the sewing machine to make sure they wouldn't fall off in the wash. I sewed up the back and sides and it was finished. For presentation, I rolled it up and tied a matching piece of fabric around it with a bow before sending it off in the mail (I couldn't make it to the party) Hope she likes it!
A fun, and simple project (especially for a speed-demon like me--I'm impatient when I sew), this is a useful gift for toddler through young elementary age!
Posted by Picasa

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How To: DIY Sand/Water Table

How To: Build A Sand/Water Table for Under $30 ! Sorry this took me so long to blog, but I had to have a tool list and full instructions before I could do so. A little history on my love for the sand/water table . I love the idea behind tools for tiny hands, i.e. the Montessori Method , and like to have Lukka 'figure things out for himself', even when he is playing. I try to have the most simple and basic toys available for 3 reasons: a) simple toys generally have less parts, which means less of a hassle for me b) simple toys inspire way more creativity and imagination than do 'exact replica' toys c) they are much more aesthetically pleasing to look at, therefore, not making every nook and cranny of our house an eyesore! I know the last reason is just for me, but it's true. Plastic things don't generally last 1/2 as long as wooden or fabric toys, and they are unattractive. For this reason, I started to look for a wooden sand/water table as opposed to a pl...
11 comments
Read more

We've Gone and Done It

We are in the midst of packing up, and moving. Not just any move, but The Move we've been trying to accomplish for years now. We're heading up to (Washington) Canada. In the last couple of months Stefan had been talking to a potential employer up in Richmond, British Columbia , and after a very swift interview process they offered him the job. Small and large details aside, he accepted and plans to start on February 25th. We leave one week earlier, on the 18th. That's literally just over 2 weeks from when you will read this. We told family and close friends first, and while we haven't been keeping it a huge secret, our church, as a whole, did not know until last night because it was then we could tell everyone at our seasonal congregational meeting what our plans were in person, and with many of them all at once. I didn't want to say anything online until that happened. We've been steadily spending heaps of time with friends and family, all while slowly p...
5 comments
Read more

{This Moment}

A portrait of his sister. From Soulemama's blog : A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
12 comments
Read more