Tutorial: Clean and Simple Changing Mat

I thought I'd share some instructions for a simple changing mat (finishes at approximately 18” x 26”). It took me under two hours, including taking pictures along the way. It's a great handmade baby shower gift, as it's not common to find in stores, plus it's quick to make.



I first made this changing mat two years ago before we set out to travel with our then 6 month old boy. He was quite the wriggler, so I wanted something big and simple to separate him from the vagaries of public changing tables. It’s a light load to carry to the bathroom for on-the-go changes, and the size will last from baby to pull-ups!

Time to make: about an hour to two hours

Materials:

fabric:
1/3 yd of quilting cotton
1/4 yd of coordinating solid
1/2 yd of fleece (flannel + or soft material alternates)

notions:
~12" of 1/4” wide elastic in a coordinating color

Step 1 | Choose fabrics

 
Choose a soft, cushiony fabric for the changing mat. Fleece works well for me: it’s light, easy to clean*, and can double as a blanket. Even the cheap stuff at Joann’s works fine. (Blizzard fleece, not the anti-pill fluffy stuff.)

Alternately, you can use terry cloth, flannel, corduroy, or even a coordinating quilting cotton. If you feel it’s a little thin, add a layer or two of batting. Just make sure everything is machine washable.

* Not only does it absorb ‘spills’, the liquids stay contained instead of wicking across the entire mat and can be wiped up before washing. And it’s machine wash and dry. Win, right?

Step 2 | Cutting

While I am giving actual measurements, feel free to improvise a size based on what you have on hand.

Fluffy material 18” x 27”.
(This is 1” wider than the finished size.)

Backing 20” x 27” piecing optional
(This is the same length as the fluffy piece, just 2” wider.)

I like keeping the piecing simple: 
Cut 1    12” x 27”      Main Print
Cut 2    4.25" x 27”   Coordinating Solid

All the pieces cut

Sew one coordinating solid strip to either side of the main print, right sides together with a 1/4" seam allowance. You just want your backing to be 20" x 27" when you're done.

Sew side seams.

Set the seams by briefly pressing with the iron, and then press seams open.

Seams pressed open, ready to go.

Step 3 |  Assembly

Check the relative sizes of the two pieces. Lay the fleece on top of the wrong side of the pieced backing. The fleece tends to squish and stretch, so you may have to do some smoothing.

The backing should be wider than the fleece by about 1” on top and bottom to do self-binding. The pieces should be approximately the same length, but it’s okay if they’re not.



I use this time to get a feel for how the finished product will look.  Fold the layers in thirds (or half, your preference) longways...



and roll it up.  My solid borders disappeared, so adjust your piecing as desired.





A cute roll! Grab your piece of elastic and wrap it around the roll. Find an appropriate length by pulling so it is snug around the roll. Err on the side of being too tight, as elastic can stretch out over time. Cut off this length, plus a little bit for sewing into the seam. Mine was about 12”.

Back to the roll. Unroll it and reposition the fabrics (pet, pet, smooth) so that the fleece faces the right side of the backing. Make sure the fleece is centered on the backing (~1” on top and bottom).



Pin if you like/need. The fleece sticks pretty well to quilting cotton, so I don’t bother.

Use a pin or pen to mark the halfway point on one side of the backing fabric. (Or, like I did, measure after sewing most of the seam and use your finger to mark.) This is where the elastic will be placed between the layers. Bring the layers to your machine, and start sewing the fleece to backing with a 1/2” seam allowance. Just before you hit the halfway point you marked, tuck the elastic in between the layers like so:

and sew it in to the seam. I like to backstitch once over the elastic to make sure it’s secure. Finish sewing this side and the other side seam. It’s okay if the edges don’t match exactly.

You’ve now sewn a tube! Turn it inside out

so the right side of the backing is on the outside. The elastic should pop out like this:

Smooth the two layers together until they lay flat and smooth. Make sure the seam allowances are flat between the layers. You can quilt the layers together at this point if you like, but I like the extra loftiness of it loose. If the edge seams are puffy, I finger press/squish them down. You might want to press the side seams with a warm iron on the cotton side, but I don’t for fear of melting the synthetic fleece.

Finish up the two remaining edges by doing a self-binding with the backing fabric.
Turn under the raw edge twice, and sew it down to the fleece.

The seam allowance from the previous step should help in containing stray raw bits at the edge.

Closeup of finished corner

Backstitch at beginning and the ends of these seams to secure.


That’s it! You’re done. To pack away, fold in thirds and roll it up

And secure with the elastic. You can roll it flat:

Or roll it round!