I had a wonderful time making this farm quilt for my partner miknessevie in the latest round of the "Invite Your Partner" swap. She had a picture of a similar play mat, made by Phizzychick, posted as a "favorite" on her profile page. You can see that inspiration play mat
HERE . Since quilting is my specialty, it was obvious that I had to make this for her!
I randomly pieced together odd-shaped patches of upholstery and drapery fabrics, most of which I got for free, either from a friend (who gave me a sample book) or from the "free remnant" bin at an upholstery shop. This was the perfect use for them!
I added the pond and stream after the top was together. I just figured it out as I went along. I like how the pond turned out, but I am unhappy with the shape of the stream; it should be narrower and more meandering. Boo. Next time I make a farm play mat I will remember that!
Of course, a farm has to have animals, and I found a small herd of these wooden cows online. The brand is "Animalz", and they make a huge variety of creatures...it was hard not to buy them all, but I liked the cows the best.
I machine-quilted the outlines of each of the fields and the water; then I got comfortable in my sewing chair and hand-quilted all the furrows with embroidery thread and great big stitches. I hand-quilted ripples in the water too. After binding the quilt, the last thing to do was add some bushes. They are an assortment of green quilting-weight fabrics, made into yo-yos which I stuffed and hand-sewed in place.
I can imagine miknessevie's children lying on the floor and inventing little dramas for the cows to act out. I wish them many hours of happy playtime with their new farm quilt!
