Sew a Sensory Baby Play Mat – Upcycled Patchwork Crawling Blanket from Baby Clothes & Fabric Scraps
- 23 hours ago
- 7 min read
Sew a lovingly made patchwork play mat with sensory elements from old sleepers, onesies and fabric scraps – a sustainable memory blanket for playing, exploring and cuddling.
Sew a Sensory Baby Play Mat – A Patchwork Memory Blanket from Baby Clothes
There it was, suddenly, in the laundry basket: the little sleeper with the teddy bear. The one all of the children had worn. The one they spent their very first days in — curled up, between the scent of milk, morning light, and those sleepy eyes that feel more than they see.
A hole at the big toe, the fabric a little thin — and still full of stories. Throw it away? That feels wrong.
And yet, pieces like these are exactly what a sensory baby play mat can be made from — an upcycled patchwork play mat that invites little hands to touch, grasp, play… and quietly remember.
In this blog post, I’ll show you step by step how to:
sew a patchwork baby play mat from fabric scraps
add sensory elements like bunny ears, a wooden ring, loops and knots
turn old baby clothes into a sustainable memory blanket — a mat your baby can play on, while you can almost see the baby time of all siblings lying there with you, softly woven into the floor.
Why sew a sensory play mat from old baby clothes?
A store-bought play mat is practical.A handmade play mat made from memory pieces is something else entirely.
It is:
An upcycling project — made from sleepers, onesies, favourite shirts and muslin cloths that feel too precious for the donation bag.
A sensory play mat — different textures, loops, rings and knots become tiny “research islands” for your baby’s hands.
A memory quilt — every patch carries its own story: “All the children wore the teddy-bear sleeper. That was your first summer dress. And this was the muslin cloth that went everywhere with us.”
Instead of disappearing into a drawer, these memories can live on as a patchwork crawling blanket — right in everyday life, right there on the floor.
Materials – What you’ll need for your upcycled patchwork play mat
You can use so much of what you already have at home. For sewing your baby play mat, you’ll need:
Fabrics
old baby clothes (sleepers, onesies, shirts, muslin cloths)
additional cotton fabric (quilting / patchwork quality)
backing fabric (cotton, muslin or jersey)
quilt batting (volumenvlies)
Sensory elements
a baby-safe wooden ring
ribbons & fabric strips (keep them short!)
fabric scraps for bunny ears
small fabric knots
optional: baby-safe crinkle material
Sewing supplies
sewing machine
thread
pins / clips
fabric scissors / rotary cutter
iron (very important)
Tip: Create a small “memory box” for baby clothes you can’t let go of. When the box is full, it’s the perfect moment for your upcycled play mat.
Planning on paper: patchwork grid & memory patches
Before you start cutting, it helps to plan your project on paper.
Choose a size
Common sizes for a baby play mat are:
90 × 90 cm (35 × 35 in) or
100 × 100 cm (39 × 39 in)
Large enough for crawling, still manageable for washing.
Draw a square and create a grid — for example 4 × 4 or 5 × 5. Each square later becomes a patch.
Plan your memory patches
Now comes the beautiful part:
Decide which baby clothes you definitely want to include.
Mark special patches in your grid for:
the teddy-bear sleeper
the very first onesie print
the beloved (slightly thin) muslin cloth
These become little memory islands: “Here lives the bear,” “here the summer dress,” “here the first tiny stars.”
Mark sensory elements
Choose 4–8 patches (or seams between patches) that will become especially interesting:
loops
bunny ears
wooden ring
a small knot
a fluffy appliqué
Mark them with small symbols so you’ll know exactly where to place each element later.
Step-by-step tutorial: sewing a baby play mat from fabric scraps
1. Cutting: turning baby clothes into patches
Remove snaps, cuffs and bulky seams that would be uncomfortable.
Cut squares, triangles or rectangles to match your grid — for example 20 × 20 cm plus seam allowance (so 22 × 22 cm). A cardboard template can be very helpful here.
Lay everything out on the floor or a table until colours and patterns feel balanced.
Tip: Stabilise stretchy jersey fabrics with lightweight interfacing so your patchwork top won’t warp.
2. Sewing the patchwork top
Sew the pieces of one row right sides together.If you’re using triangles, assemble them into squares/rectangles first, then sew those together.
After each seam, press the seam allowances open — this helps everything lie flat and neat.
Sew rows together and press again.
This creates the top of your play mat — where all those baby clothes find a new home.
(Before joining everything fully, make sure you know which seams will hold your sensory elements — your paper plan helps so much here.)
3. Prepare and attach the sensory elements
Now fabric scraps become small little play islands:
Bunny ears
Sew two pieces right sides together, turn, topstitch, optionally add crinkle material.
Loops
Fold ribbons into short loops (for safety: shorter is better), align ends.
Wooden ring
Attach to a sturdy fabric strap or cord so it can be caught into a seam later.
Knots
Sew a fabric tube, turn it, optionally stuff it lightly, then tie a soft knot.
Mini bunting
Sew tiny triangles right sides together, turn, and finish the top edge with bias tape.
Appliqué
For example, cut the teddy-bear motif from the old sleeper, finish the edges and stitch it onto a calmer patch.
Lay out your patchwork top again and position everything:
place loops with raw ends inside seam allowances
place the wooden-ring strap on an outer edge
topstitch bunny ears / knots / appliqués in place, or catch them in the next seam
Secure everything well — with extra stitching if needed. These pieces will be loved and played with a lot.
4. Add batting and backing
Place the quilt batting under your patchwork top.
Secure both layers with safety pins or clips — or fuse if your batting is fusible.
Cut the backing fabric slightly larger than the patchwork top.
Now layer:
patchwork top with batting right side up,
backing fabric right side down on top (right sides facing each other).
Pin well and sew around the edge, leaving a 15–20 cm turning opening.
5. Turn and topstitch
Trim seam allowances at the corners.
Turn the mat right side out.
Shape corners gently with a blunt stick.
Fold seam allowance of the opening inward and close it with a neat topstitch.
To finish, quilt/topstitch your mat:
along patchwork seams (classic look), or
in larger squares/frames
This stabilises the mat and highlights the structure of your memory patches.
Mindfulness & memories: playing on a memory play mat
When your baby later lies on this mat, plays and crawls, something quiet happens:
small hands grab loops, feel the smooth wooden ring, touch the soft bunny ears
fingers explore fabric by fabric — waffle, jersey, muslin, smooth cotton
each patch has its own temperature, texture… and story
For your baby, it is simply sensory play.For you, it is also a piece of baby time found again:
“This was your sibling in size 56. You wore that the first time we went to the lake. And the teddy bear guided us through so many nights.”
You don’t have to say it all out loud. Just knowing these stories are woven into the fabric makes the mat special.
Mindfulness here means:
while sewing: pausing now and then and noticing which child and which moment a piece of fabric brings back
while playing: watching your baby’s pace — where the hands linger, what the eyes find interesting
So an upcycling project becomes a moving memory — something that can be used every day.
Conclusion: a baby play mat that carries stories forward
Sewing a sensory baby play mat is not a “quick sewing project.”It’s more like quiet collecting:
fabrics
moments
all the small things you couldn’t let go of
And then, in the end, there it is: a patchwork crawling blanket made from old baby clothes. A new baby plays on it — and the stories of older siblings softly resonate in the background.
A play mat, a sensory mat, a memory blanket and an upcycling solution all in one.
And every time you fold it up, your hand may brush over the teddy bear from that sleeper with the hole at the big toe — and you might think:
“I’m glad I didn’t give you away.” 🌙
If you like, share your finished mat on Instagram with #frifriDIY — I’d love to see your own patchwork stories.
More DIY ideas & memory keepsakes for the baby years
If you feel like continuing with small heart projects after your sensory patchwork play mat, you might also like these:
DIY wet wipes cover: A simple sewing tutorial that turns even the changing table into a calmer, more beautiful place — perfect if you want to use more fabric scraps.
DIY hooded towel for kids: A cosy towel idea that softly connects bath time and bedtime rituals — and also works well with leftover favourite fabrics.
Hand-illustrated baby memory book “Dwarfs” (frifri shop): A lovingly designed baby journal (0–3 years) where you can capture how your child discovers the world on their play mat — with space for photos of the baby clothes that now live inside the blanket.
DIY toy bag: A simple sewn storage sack for rattles and little toys in the playpen or on the floor — easy to make and quick to sew. (see the photo above)
A hug and see you soon!
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