Button Seek and Find Playmat

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• 36"x 36" Quilt Batting
• Disappearing Ink Pen
• 20" String
• Push Pin
• Painter's Tape
• 1yd Cotton Fabric
• 1 yd Cotton Fabric (for backing)
• 4 1/2yds Double Fold Bias Tape
• Various Buttons
• Extra Strong Upholstery Thread/ Pearl Cotton Thread
• Hand Needle
• Basic Sewing Supplies

DIRECTIONS:

1. Be sure to sew all the buttons to the mat to avoid any possible choking hazards.
2. Lay the 36" x 36" quilt batting out on your work surface. Find the center and mark with disappearing ink pen.
3. Mark the center of each of the four batting outer edges.
4. Push the pushpin in through the center of the batting (if you don't want to push into your work surface, tape a small piece of cardboard over the center and push the pin into cardboard at center).
5. Tie one end of the string around the push pin, and the other end to the disappearing ink pen, tighten the string so that the tip of the disappearing ink pen meets the center of one of the batting edges.
6. Gently pull against the string as you draw arcs from center edge point to center edge point, making a circle.
7. Remove the pushpin and string and use the disappearing ink pen to draw a line through center of the circle.
8. Then, use a ruler to draw an X through the center, dividing the circle into six even pieces. The X will need to be taller than it is wide to keep the pieces even. Use a ruler to draw lines connecting the intersecting points - these will be the edges of your hexagon.
9. Cut hexagon out of batting.
10. Use the hexagon batting as a template and trace onto both cotton pieces. Cut out cotton pieces.
11. Pin the cotton pieces to either side of the batting and baste around the edges.
12. Draw a small hexagon in the interior. Use ruler and disappearing ink pen to make two marks 12" in from one of the outer edges, connect marks into a line. Repeat for all six edges.
13. Use ruler and disappearing ink pen to connect the points of the small hexagon to the points of the larger hexagon.
14. Use sewing machine to quilt the batting together, following your drawn lines.
15. Pin bias tape around edge of the hexagon; at hexagon points, fold excess tape in so that the crease of the bias tape lines up with the stitched quilt line.
16. Pin all the way around. At the end, fold overlapping bias tape edge in 1/2". Trim away excess bias tape, press fold with iron, and pin over raw edge of the bias tape.
17. Sew bias tape in place about 1/8" from the folded edge of the tape, pivoting sewing machine at the hexagon points.
18. Finally, add your buttons. Use your extra strong upholstery thread and hand needle to make an anchoring X over the spot you want to add the button. Place the button on the X then push the needle through the first buttonhole, turn the needle and push it all the way through a second buttonhole, if applicable. Repeat for three passes per each set of holes on the button. Then make a small knot on the back side of the fabric and trim off extra fabric.
19. Repeat for all buttons.

1. Take a photo of the button playmat and either bring the photo into a program like Photoshop and organizing the button images digitally, or print off your picture of the playmat and cut out the pictures of the buttons and organize and glue them on another sheet of paper.