My friend needed a nap mat for her daughter for preschool rest
time. I love the fabric on this nap mat; it’s so girly and fun. Minkee
fabric is pretty slippery when sewing, but other than that, the pattern
was a breeze. Speaking of a pattern, I couldn’t find one I liked so I created this nap mat tutorial. Feel free to download it for personal use 
I used a foam insert instead of batting to add extra
cushion. I also finished one length of the mat with velcro, so the foam
can be easily removed before washing.
Leave me a comment and let me know how it worked out for you!
My youngest is going to preschool and will be in need of a nap mat. I’ll have to give your tutorial a try. Thanks so much
Great. I hope you find it useful
Thanks for the pattern! My daughter loves her nap mat.
Tina, I’m so glad you found it useful
Your nap mat is adorable.
Hi Jenny,
I came across your tutorial when I typed in “nap mat patterns” in google. I had a friend who didn’t want to spend 100 bucks on a good quality nap mat for her son so I offered (as a new sewer for only a year now) to try to make one for her. Your tutorial was GREAT! the nap mat turned out perfect for him. Thanks for all your great ideas and help in sewing new items for me. I am a stay-at-home mom and anything I can make for my girls and family is great:) I check your site often to see new and fun ideas:)
Kristi,
Thanks so much! I am so glad you found it useful.
I made nap mats with your tutorial for my twin boys and they turned out great. Thanks!
OMG that is incredible! I’m going to have to do this when Parker is a little older!
I was very excited to find your tuorial. My daughter is starting on a sleeper cot at her daycare and I just wanted something a little more personal for her. My friend made her daughter one which gave me the idea but she didn’t use a pattern. Yours is like the only free pattern on the net, I looked hard. I am an intermediate sewer so I changed up a couple of things. On one side I did a three inch border and inserted a patterned fabric (2/3 yard print, 1 1/4 yard solid)leaving the rest of mat a solid color. I also decided to make a muslin pillow form to insert at the top so I can removed it for super fast wash and dry, the stuffing never dries right unless it is super compact and I didn’t want it to lose it’s fluff or get lump, plus as my munchkin ages she can tell me if she want a softer or harder pillow as needed. I can also leave it out completely this way. We left off the blanket to since she already has one she carries EVERYWHERE for naps.
Thank you for putting this out there. It rolls up great.
Kristine, I’m so glad you liked the tutorial. GREAT tips about ways to alter the pattern
I love the idea of using a muslin pillow form and combining print with pattern! Send me a pic if you get a chance.
I followed your tutorial to make a nap mat for my oldest daughter when she when started pre-k almost a year ago. It still looks great after weekly washings. I’ll be headed to the fabric store to buy more materials to make one for my youngest who will be starting pre-k in two weeks. Thank you so much for sharing your tutorial!
Thank you so much for posting such great directions! I just got home from the store with all my supplies to make 4 of these mats. I am a daycare provider and have really been looking into cute/comfy mats to have for the children to nap & have quiet time on. These are adorable and don’t look like they’ll be too hard to sew! I’ll have to let you know how they turn out!
Hey There..
We made this in John Deere material … so darn cute and comfy. Great instructions! Though, we used velcro instead of buttons as they may be a chicking hazard for a year old child. Also, his little embroidered name is adorable. Thanks a bunch!! WIsh I could figure out how to post a picture??
I’m so glad ya’ll liked the tutorial! I’d love to see pics at jennygarland(at)gmail(dot)com .
Where did you get the floral pattern? I have a blanket and burp cloths of the same material.
I teach all day K and need something for my students because I hate to see them sleeping on the hard floor every day. Buying them is too expensive, so I’m going to give this a try. I’m not really a sewer, but I think I can do it! I’ll let you know…:)
Do you think the whole thing could be washed without taking out the foam?
Jeni, I think it could definitely be washed without taking out the foam, it will just take longer to dry, as I’m not sure you’d want to put the foam in the dryer. Let me know how it turns out!
This looks absolutely perfect for my son’s nap map for preschool – thanks sooo much for posting the tut!