"All for under fifty bucks!"

He builds furniture.

I sew.

He built a headboard; we upholstered it; I made a matching bedspread.

We're a pretty good team.

Texture quilt.

I have a nephew on the way, so I've made some reusable wipes and have been looking at cloth diapers (which are really scary and, to be honest, beyond my abilities). I also wanted to make some kind of quilt. What I loved growing up were patterns with lots to look at; and babies love to touch and feel; so with those two put together, I decided on one of those map playmats.

I've sewn together about half of it and have the other half to do.  The "lots" and "roads" vary from suede to vinyl to denim to wool to jersey knit cotton. (Ahem, hand wash and line dry.) When the batting and first backing is in, I will machine quilt different patterns over the "lots". The fabric in the upper right is what will be on the backside to look tasteful when necessary, with a yarn-tie technique to boot. I always, always push beyond what's realistic in layering but, just the same, I always, always pull through (thus far).

I'm deferring to mama's wisdom on where to go from here. I have felt and other materials ready for trees and buildings, but do we want the playmat to have the capacity to grow along with junior, too? Do I attach buildings so it's cutesy and arty, or leave them loose as playing pieces so the LEGOs can eventually move in? Or I'm probably overthinking this, and a combination of diarrhea and projectile vomit will strike at once and totally destroy the thing, and it would be really uncool after a few years besides. But I'm toying (ha!) around.