Sunday, February 20, 2011

Playground Slide Mat

I am happy to know that Spring is on it's way, but know that our brutal Vegas summer is on it's way as well! Having two boys at home all summer can really drive a mama crazy! I love going to the parks and most of them have canopies over the playgrounds, but the slides still get really hot. We have taken towels for them to slide on, but I decided to take it a step further. I found a tutorial on making a slide mat, but I wanted it to look really cute, so I used cute fabric, a bright border and handles.

This is a tutorial on making a mat for ages 5 and under. My 7 yr old tried it and was way too tall.

Supplies:
I found the towel at Walmart for $2.50. The colors are very limited, but it's a great price!
1 package of extra wide double sided quilt binding

Coordinating thread

I found this really cute Yogi Bear flannel fabric for $4.44/yd at Walmart. It only takes 1/3 yd!


First, lay out the towel and fold one end up about 15 in. This will be the pocket for their feet.


Next, measure the rectangle for the foot pocket. and cut the same size out of the flannel fabric. Mine was 15" x 26".


Now for the sewing:

First, you will need to pin and sew the binding to the top edge of the pocket, making sure to turn under the edges. 


Next, pin and sew along both sides. Make sure to sew through all three layers of fabric, 2 layers of the towel and 1 layer of the pocket fabric. It will get a little bit thick, but my sewing machine had no problem with it. You may need to adjust the stitch length to be a little bit longer.



Now it's time to pin and sew the binding on to one of the sides and work your way to the bottom and the other side. Make sure to turn under the ends of the binding so that there are no raw edges. 



Lastly, measure about 8-9 in of the left over binding and cut 2 pieces. Sew along the open side to make long strips. Turn under each end and sew across. These will become the handles.



Pin the handles onto the towel, right above the top of the foot pocket. Make sure to pin them with the middle lifted up. This will make it easier for the little hands to grab them. You should probably double stitch this area for durability. I stitched a square on each end of the handle about an inch wide. 





That's it! You're done! Now it's time to go to the park and enjoy! 

Does anyone have an idea for a clever name for it?








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33 comments:

Marie C. said...

This is such a great idea! It doesn't really get warm enough where I live for slides to be a problem, but my sister lives in Southern California so I shared a link to your blog with her because I am sure she could use this! :-)

Brandi said...

WOW! What a clever idea! The handles were a great addition!

Diane said...

What a brilliant idea! I can see why you named your blog "You Made That?" It's the perfect name because that is what I was thinking when I looked at this post!

Thanks for following me...I'm now following you too!

mE aNd mY tâ„ŽrIfTy IdEas said...

This is pretty darn smart! I love it! I would call it Slide Buddy or something like that but then again I am a dork. LOL. Thanks so much for the follow and I am following you back because you are one creative mama! Keep in touch!

Ladybird Ln said...

Wow, what a great idea.. I know how hot slides can get, I would have never thought of making a mat! Thanks so much for the nice comments and following my blog...
I am your newest follower as well you have so many great ideas!

Kimberlee said...

Fabulous idea. Now if only I was crafty enough to whip one of those up for my kiddos.

Daniella said...

Great idea! Even in NY those slides are so hot they've been known to burn the kids!
I'm here from Debbie's party!
xxDaniella

Janet said...

Great idea! The handles are such a nice edition to the slide mat too.

Chiara said...

What a great idea! Thanks for the sweet comment on my blog. I love the idea of this slide mat--my boys would love this! I'm adding it to my crafting list! : )

Rebecca @ My Girlish Whims said...

Looks great!

PS I nominated you for a bloggy award! http://mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/2011/02/versatile-blogger.html

Umm Mymoonah said...

Wow! This really looks great, but I'm in the zero level of sewing and stitching.

Dawn said...

great idea!! very great! the slides around here get so hot in the summer-this would be perfect!

Suzanne said...

What a great idea! I live in Phoenix, so can definitely use this .
Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Larissa@Just Another Day in Paradise said...

That is a GREAT idea. My parents used to live in Vegas and I remember the impossibility of going down any slides in the summer.

Here we need a rain guard!

Thanks for coming by my blog.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Jessica at Me Sew Crazy said...

oh my - that slide thingy is AWESOME!!! Every little boy's dream! What a great concept - love it!

KellyH said...

Good Idea! My kiddo needs one of those!!

Karen said...

Hi, great idea! thanks for visiting

Andrea @ Addicted2Tutes said...

This is a really cute idea. I might have to make some for my kids this summer because the slides are so darn HOT! Thanks for the idea! I'm a new follower!

Emily said...

Great idea! Besides the slides being hot think of all the dirt and germs that are on there! yuck! Anyway, thanks for visiting our site too @ bitsofeverything. :)

C... said...

You are so creative. That's a great stylish way to keep the kids having fun.

Kyla Armstrong said...

That is such a fun idea! I hope you'll come link up at TOO Cute Tuesday!

http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/2011/02/too-cute-tuesday-linky-par-tay-19.html

Unknown said...

What a clever idea!! I'm going to have to bookmark this one. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

What a clever idea!! I'm going to have to bookmark this one. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

That is a really great idea! But over here in England we don't get hot slides, just wet ones, so I would be using the mat to wipe off the rain :(

Tatum @ Tatum's Take said...

What a fabulous idea! It just breaks my heart when my nephews go down the slide and it's sun baked! I never would have thought of that. Maybe call it the Sun Safe Slider.

Leslie said...

Thanks for following my blog!

What a great idea for a slide mat. I never would have thought of something like that. Those slides can get really hot too!

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

Wonderful idea and very clear instructions for making the slide mat! There have many times during the summer when my daughters could have used something like this.

Ann
harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I love this! I'd love for you to share at Fun For Kids Friday!

http://smilemonsters.blogspot.com/2011/02/fun-for-kids-friday_24.html

Jo @ SmileMonsters

Melissa said...

What a smart fun way to go down the slide faster! As the weather warms up, I'm going to have to make these for my kiddo's!! Thanks for linking up at http://itssewforyou.blogspot.com!

Unknown said...

I wanted to extend you an invite..

Hop over to my site! I'd love to have you link up at my For the Kids Fridays link party.
http://sunscholars.blogspot.com

:)rachel

Unknown said...

Thanks for linking up to For the Kids Fridays! I can't wait to see what you have to share next week!

:)rachel at SunScholars.blogspot.com

Jae said...

I live in Vegas too. What a totally awesome idea. Now, why didn't I think of that? Good job.

Elizabeth said...

Love this idea! Thanks so much for linking up! I'm featuring you on my blog today! http://sewchatty.blogspot.com