Fidget Lap Blanket

 I recently attended a meeting for people who sew called Sewing for Service. I became intrigued by something called "fidget mats" that they were making. I had heard of such things for babies and autistic children. 

But they were making these for nursing homes (people in wheelchairs, etc. get bored with sitting in one spot and having nothing to do) and places that have people with dementia (like Alzheimer's). 

It is basically a mat (about placemat sized) that has lots of different things to 'play' with and several textures as well. They were also incorporating it into lap blankets so they have something to keep their legs warm but also allowing for fidgeting.

I decided to give them a try. 

My first effort was just a basic mat.

I used random things I found that I had not used yet and picked up a patch and some wooden flowers from the dollar store.

After realizing how hard it was to come up with things for each block, I ended up Googling some ideas. I came across one mat that was a scene rather than just random blocks so I tried making a similar one using a few of my own ideas too.

It's not perfect. As I have said before, I am not a quilter. But I thought it turned out cute. The sun has crinkly paper inside so it makes noise when pushed on and also has gold rick rack for texture differences. The corn leaves are 3D and form a very shallow pocket for putting fingers into and out of. The corn itself is felt with a diagonal squares "quilted" on to it and the stem is a zipper. The chicken's legs are ribbon with beads that swing freely. And her egg is attached inside the nest box by a ribbon so it can slide in and out. The other details are made with cotton and ribbon. Lots of textures.

While it must have been a poor year for rain (lol) as seen in her misshaped egg and the puny corn leaves, I still think it turned out cute. And I found that cute farm fabric at Hobby Lobby for 40% off to use to frame it and cover the back with.

Next I decided to go with a garden theme. I found a pretty sheet at the thrift store to use for framing and backing it so I just had to come up with a fidget block for it.

This is what I have so far. The butterfly is felt and beads. The sunflower is my crinkly center with ribbon petals and 3D leaves. I found a flower patch for little white daisy type one and the bee is another patch I found and sewed to a felt back attached to a ribbon. The tulip forms a cup so the bee can slide right in. The pink flower has more 3D elements with a big white button to play with in the middle. 

It isn't finished yet. I still have to do something where they go into the ground and I have a couple more things I'd like to add. 

But I think it's looking good so far.

What about you? Any ideas for fidgets to help me out?