I love the marble mazes I posted two months ago, but they might not be appropriate fidget toys if you need to worry about choking hazards--enough chewing can get the marbles out, and babies and some older people are going to chew. Here's an alternative sewing project for when that's a concern. It's also a great way to use up small amounts of fabric and ribbon.
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| No choking hazards here! |
SUPPLIES
Four pieces of different textures of fabric
Six (or more) ribbons of different texture and width--none with wires
Fabric scissors
Regular scissors
Rotary cutter
Cutting mat with grid and ruler
Clean potato chip bag
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Regular scissors lest your sewing ancestors haunt you
when it comes time to cut the bag. |
DIRECTIONS
Cut the ribbon into four-inch (10 cm) long pieces. If you only have a small amount of ribbon, three inches (7.5 cm)will suffice, but four is easier to work with.
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If possible, have each ribbon a different texture than the other.
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Using your regular scissors, cut the potato chip into a ten inch by ten inch (25 cm) square. The bag should already have been wiped clean and run through the dishwasher or washing machine. You can also use any sort of bag with the same feel as a potato chip or buy crinkle paper outright.
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| USE REGULAR SCISSORS, NOT FABRIC SCISSORS |
Next, cut three of your fabrics into three-inch (7.5cm) wide by nine-inch (23 cm) wide strips, and the fourth into a nine-inch by nine-inch (23 cm) square.
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I used fleece, a silky piece, and minke for the strips,
and flannel for the square. |
Now you should have six lengths of ribbon, one chip bag square, three strips of fabric, and one square of fabric. Time to start assembling the fidget mat.
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| Ready to go |
Sew the strips along the long edges with the right sides facing, to make them into a square.
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| I chose to order them fleece, silky, minke |
Square up the edges.
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| See-through rulers with grids are the best. |
Fold the ribbons in half and pin then around the perimeter, leaving a little bit of each raw each hanging over the side, to ensure they get caught when you sew them in place.
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You can sew them in right now and remove the pins,
or after the next step and just take extra care to watch for pins when turning. |
Layer your pieces with the chip bag on the bottom, fabric square right side up, strips with ribbons right side down.
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The bag might try to curl, which is why having it bigger than
the fabric pieces is nice. |
Pin or clip the pieces together and sew around the perimeter, leaving a space open for turning.
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| If you haven't already sewn in the ribbons, watch for those pins. |
Trim the extra edges of the chip bag.
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| USE REGULAR SCISSORS. DO NOT USE FABRIC SCISSORS. |
Trim any bulky pieces of ribbon and fabric as needed.
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| Back to fabric scissors. |
Use a zig zag to top stitch the perimeter...
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| The ribbons are very secure now! |
...and the seams between the strips, and you're done!
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| This also helps the chip bag piece stay in place. |
Now the fidget mat is ready to be played with. The bag inside the fabric makes a fun crinkly noise when bent or squeezed, and the ribbons and fabric provide a variety of textures to rub.
