Project 4: Totally Cheating

So, this wasn't really a sewing/DIY project, but it replaced a sewing to-do. Many months ago I bought some cheap vinyl fabric from Walmart (the plastic-y table cloth material with a soft felt-like back), intending to make a splat mat for under Rowan's high chair. While the dogs eat most of the dropped food, bits still end up stepped on or rolled over, and they turn into small unidentifiable hunks of gray putty cemented all over my tile. This is another procrastinated project....all I had to do was hem the vinyl I bought and it would be ready to use. But instead I puzzled over whether I should make to-go restaurants placemats out of the vinyl, or maybe make the mat two sided with a girly side and a boy side in case we have a daughter some day (I had bought striped vinyl as well as camo). But then I worried that a two sided mat with plastic-y vinyl on the outside and the felt backs on the inside would be prone to mold and mildew since liquids would seep into the felt middle occasionally and couldn't get out. So then I wondered if I should do double sided placemats with the two vinyls instead, and not have enough left over to make the splat mat.

And then this week I was shopping at Ross. I may have mentioned before that I HATE SHOPPING. But I was gleeeeefully selecting Christmas presents, I assure you, when I found this piece of vinyl. It was really cheap ($2 i think) and I loved the design. At first I decided to buy it to use as fabric, as is always a good idea to consider when discovering cheap sheets, blankets, towels, or clothing at Ross. But when I got it home I realized, first, was this intended as a tablecloth for a kids tea set table? No wonder it's at Ross. While its completely non-functional as a tablecloth, it's an absolutely perfect splat mat. And I got to cross yet another thing off of my list.