Last year at MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers group for those of you who aren't familiar), one of the moms spoke about her love of traveling with her family. She gave all kinds of tips for traveling with little ones and brought some great ideas to share with the group.
One of the projects she shared with us was a quilt her mother made so that her children could follow along with the map during long road trips. Instantly, I knew I wanted one. Thus began the long search for a map of the USA fabric panel. I was specifically looking for a version that had cartoon-like pictures for certain characteristics of each state. I was unsuccessful with my ebay bids and could never snag one on etsy fast enough. I searched the web high and low without much luck. Much to my surprise during a trip to JoAnn's Fabric during our stay in Spokane, WA earlier in the summer we came across several of these panels! Needless to say, we bought them out!
My mom, the crafty lady that she is, was able to whip up one of these quilts in time for our road trip to Wisconsin. Amelia already has an interest in learning the states and can name quite a few. The quilt worked especially well since we drove through two state capitals on our way to visit my great Aunt, both of which were also marked on the map. Amelia could be heard asking from the back on several occasions, "Are we at the first star yet?".
After returning from our trip, I decided that I wanted to mark each state she has visited with a simple black button. I originally wanted to use pins that I had collected from each state, but decided that the fabric was already busy enough, so keeping the marker simple and solid colored would be for the best.Amelia was excited to help me sew the buttons onto the quilt. She has been to a total of 8 states so far (Missouri, Illinois, California, Wisconsin, Florida, Washington, Idaho, and Virginia. I have decided to not count states where we've only been laid over). She lost interest after the 3rd button and I finished it up.
Florida, up close, I don't know why.
The map in its current state. I am eager to add more buttons. I asked Amelia where she would like to go next and she picked Mississippi.
Have I mentioned how much I love this project? I know it will be a special keepsake for Amelia for years to come, as well as a great learning tool!
3 comments:
I love it!! What a great idea!
That is TOO cute! I love it - and of course your crafty mom was able to whip that up. Your non-crafty friend here will have to find one to buy... =)
Of course, maybe you could applique something for me.
That is a great idea! I might have to steal it from you too! As much as we travel, I keep trying to keep track of where the kids have been and that would be perfect! What would I do without your ideas Jodi!
Post a Comment