How To Make A Changing Mat – Beginner Friendly Sewing Pattern

Hello hello friends!

It’s absolutely mind-blowing to me that I’m sharing a sewing pattern with you guys.

My business is fully knitting and crocheting, but lately I have been enjoying sewing a bit too much.

Quick story: My Spanish YouTube channel started with sewing videos back in 2015, and it feels like a full circle moment going back to my “beginnings”.

Anyway! This is a quick, but easy sewing idea for those who are looking for a quick project to make for a gift or baby shower, or even for yourself!

Not ready to sew yet? Pin this image and get to it later!

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The Design

This changing mat is very simple to make. It was intended to be a bit large, so you can use it even when the baby is bigger and moving around!

I had a wide and large changing mat with both my babies, and let me tell you, I absolutely loved it! It was my favourite for that reason, how big it was.

We are making it rectangular and adding ties to ensure it can be closed, but you can create it and add as many or as few details as you please.

About the materials

In my opinion, changing mats should be as absorbent as possible; if not, what’s the point, right?

You can experiment with different materials, such as waterproof fabric, and get super fancy, but in this tutorial, we’re going for simple and inexpensive.

I bought a soft towel from Homesense and cotton from the fabric store, and then I was ready to go!

One little disclaimer, towel material or also known as Terry Cloth, is a very messy material to work with, once you cut it, you will have lots (and I mean it, LOTS) of little fibres flying around, so be patient and make sure you have an overlock machine or at least a machine that does a zig-zag stitch.

Check out more fall patterns

Materials

Sewing Machine (with zig-zag stitch)
Overlock (optional, you don’t need one if you have a machine that does the zig-zag stitch)
20″x28″ piece of cotton fabric
20″x28″ piece of towel or terry cloth fabric
2 pieces of 2″x17″ cotton fabric (same as the main fabric)
Thread
Scissors or a rotary cutter
Ruler

Pattern

Step 1: Cut all your pieces

Step 2: Make the ties

Fold your fabric in half and give it a quick press, then bring both edges in toward the center fold (kind of like making binding tape) and press again.

Step 3: Sew the ends of the ties

Fold the end 1/4 of an inch and sew along; repeat on both ends.

Step 4: Sew along the ties

Fold the tie back up, give it a quick press if needed, then sew along both edges to close it up. I’m stitching mine super close to the edge.

Step 5: Overlock your towel/terry cloth

Before sewing your pieces together, don’t skip finishing the edge of your towel—either overlock it or go around with a zig-zag stitch to keep things neat. Use a wide stitch and sew right along the edge so it catches everything.

Step 6: Sew the main pieces together

Before sewing the two pieces together, you can decide whether to keep the corners square or round them like I did.

Place both fabric pieces right sides facing each other.

Mark a 4″ opening on one edge so you can flip it right side out later.

Hold off on sewing just yet.

Step 7: Add the ties before sewing around

Attach the ties on the opposite end of where your turning opening will be. Make sure to place the ties inside the mat—sandwiched between the two layers—with about 1/4″ sticking out so you can see them and sew them in securely.

Step 8: Sew around

Now that everything is aligned, sew all the way around using a 1/4″ seam allowance—but don’t forget to leave the gap open!

If you have a serger (overlock machine), this is a great step to use it. If not, no worries—just make sure you finish the edges with a zig-zag stitch, and you’re good to go!

Step 9: Turn your mat right side out

Turn everything right side out, make sure to get those corners out.

Step 10: Close the opening and sew around

To close the opening, sew all the way around your mat using a 1/4″ seam allowance. This will not only close the gap but also give your mat a clean, finished look.

Step 11: Iron and mate the little stars!

Give your mat a good press to flatten it out. Then, mark small dots or crosses randomly across the surface—this helps keep the mat and towel layers from shifting or separating. You can quilt it if you prefer, but I find that a bit tricky with towel fabric, so I opted for simple stitched crosses instead.

Once all your markings are in place, sew small crosses at each point using a backstitch. I did about 4 stitches forward and then 4 stitches back a couple of times to create each cross.