I grew up loving to read! I was obsessed with Nancy Drew! I could finish a book a day, and I quickly finished the whole series. I remember going to the library and taking home stacks of books. My oldest is in third grade, and she impresses me each day with how much better she is getting a reading and writing. I’ll admit I’m not near as diligent as my own mom about reading to my kids each night as she was, but Gabbie (my oldest) picks up the slack and reads to her sisters when I don’t.

We came up with 2 new patterns with the idea of creating fun things for kids to use when they want to lay down and read a book. We started with our 9 square mat, it’s a pretty simple tic-tac-toe design that lets you use fun fabrics to make a snazzy little 36″ x 36″ mat. Of course we got creative and we show options for adding some loft for extra comfort, different finishes like ribbon, ric-rac, or Cuddle strips, and our signature touch of adding appliqués. You can use 2 different colors for the 9 blocks, you could use 4 or 5, or even 9 different fabrics! We used Cuddle Fabric by Shannon to add softness, textured and style for our blocks. Also because Cuddle doesn’t fray it’s super easy to work with! Then we used Rocklin multipurpose cloth on the bottom for durability and structure. This mat is great because it is easy to clean, we took it to the park, to the beach, and to the pool- it holds up against spills, dirt, and washing!  The pattern comes with 8 super cute appliqués that you can add to the mat. We have it available for instant download here: 

 

or a professionally printed version here: 

The next pattern we made is a cute little blanket and pillow that kiddos can use to cuddle up on the mat and read their book, or take a nap. Again it comes with a bunch of cute appliqués to inspire your little one to find a love of reading too! We have the instant download version here: 

We also have a professionally printed version here: 

With both patterns you can make an adorable little trio that your little one can take anywhere!

Happy sewing!