Car play mat?

Has anyone made a mat with roads and buildings on it for playing cars?  I've been tempted to buy one but the good ones are very expensive and the cheap ones are really small.  Any tips?
thanks

I have a book called Play Quilts: Creative Activity Quilts for Kids by Kristin Kolstad Addison. They don't have a car play mat but by looking at her examples it might help you decide on a design.  I made my daughters a pirate ship quilt.



The nice thing (that you can't tell in the picture) is that the boat is usable - only the bottom is sewn down. So, we can put animals in the ark or mermaids or princesses (or pirates). Same for the boat house. And - the purple ribbon is a swing for the mermaids. Hmmm - the sun looks like he needs ironing.

Other activity quilts in the book are: an animal train, a sleepover picnic, a flight to the moon, and a farm.  The animal train just has a piece of binding meandering along the quilt. I think the train cars are sewn down (on the bottom) because there are animals (that she also tells you how to sew) that can go in and out of the train cars.

It was actually a really quick quilt to put together (size approx 53 x 40). I keep meaning to do another from the book but haven't yet.

Have fun, Beth

I'm in love with this one.  I think she is out of this print in her store, but you can find the fabric online or eBay....it's Michael Miller.   I am so going to make one of these for Christmas and gifts.
http://jcaroline.typepad.com/jcaroline/2008/07/merryville-play.html

That is really cute!  I didn't know you could find fabric printed like that!

My mom made one of those for us when we were little. She used a cotton/poly blend fabric for the mat - less wrinkles. She used Kettle Cloth, but that type is sooo hard to find if not impossible.

She then drew on the fabirc with a pencil or fabric marker where she wanted the roads to go.  She then used fabric paint or fabric to make the lines permanente. Then she used fuseible webbing to attach houses, cars, trees, etc. She also sewed around the edges to reinforce. We loved that thing as kids.

 I will be making one in the next while. I just have to find material similar to Kettle Cloth for the base. That one by JCaroline Creative is adorable! I love that fabric...

Deanna... love it too!