Brigid Momanyi crafted a vibrant playmat for Christina, blending beautiful Kitenge fabrics into a cozy, colorful quilt perfect for a little one's playtime comfort. What's your wish?
A request by Christina from Berlin-Mitte, Germany
I would like to order a playmat in the form of a quilt made with different patches of kitenge material. It should be padded well enough for a baby to be able to lay on it and play on it on the floor without it being uncomfortable. Samples with colour patterns are welcome.
The Journey of Creating custom made playmat made with different patches of Kitenge
Negotiation & Planning
custom made playmat made with different patches of Kitenge - design ideas and artisan proposals
Hello Christine,
My name is Divine, I would be very happy to realise the playmat that you want. Which dominant colors of kitenge do you want, I guess respective to the baby's gender? Can we use both side playmat to be kitenge? I would suggest one side to be kitenge patterns and another to be a single color matching as a color from the proposed colors. What is the measurements of the playmat that you want. Width and length? The pattern inside I can made a rectangle or square design , what do you think of them ? Please feel free to make other suggestions
Hi Divine.
The playmat should be 1.40x1.20m
I had also considered having the kitenge only on one side. The patches should be square and the main colour should be blue on the edge of the quilt and on one side. As for the patches, anything that complement the blue colour would be nice.
Regards
Christina
Thank you so much for ur feedback,i will respond to you tommorrow
Here is shared different kitenge materials in Blues colors. You may choose which color you like more. I suggest to use deep blue as complementary color on the other side.
Hello Divine.
The attached picture shows what inspired the idea. I agree with deep blue on the other side as a complimentary colours and along the sides like a frame. Otherwise the colours of the quilt squares on the inside should be different colours that compliment the blue.
I like the third pattern on the right (from your attached suggestions)
That would be good as you want. I would start now and update you along the process.
Hello Christina,i will start the process on this incoming Monday but the price will be increased Thanks for you understanding
Crafting Process
How to make a custom made playmat made with different patches of Kitenge – work in progress
Hello Christina i want just to tell the Material in thia days of christmas are higher than what i was expected.
Do the prices drop back to normal from next week?
Hello Christina, I have shared the video of the process of making the mat. I would like to apologize because I was still trying to understand your order and matching with the materials and find good prices. And later on my phone had an issues I couldn't easily manage to share the updates. Thank you for the understanding
Hello Divine
I just watched the video. The quilt I posted as an example didn't have any foam material in it. I don't think that's sustainable over a long period of time. One should be able to fold the mat in whatever way and I can imagine the material in your video breaking over time. I would also like something that is safe for babies without the use of glue. The quilt is supposed to be a playmat. I have attached two link sthat should give some ideas on what is normally used for babies blankets/mats for padding or batting as they call it.
https://www.createforless.com/buying-guides/sewing-and-quilting/quilt-batting-types-and-how-to-choose-the-right-one.aspx
https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2010/10/little-bit-batty.html
Hi Christina
My name is Brigid and I’ll be taking over your request from Divine. I’ve read through your messages together and this is what I’ve gathered so correct me if I’m wrong ;
- size of quilt should be 1.40m by 1.20m
- quilt should have sustainable filling for baby to safely play on the mat and lay on. Is one inch quilt batting sufficient? I shall attach a photo on the same.
What fabric would you prefer for the quilt backing?
I also understand that the quilt trim should be of a blue shade and the middle to be a mix of complementary Ankara fabric.
With that said I’ll be happy to start working on your request as soon as possible and will upload photos and videos of the progress I make. Is there anything I left out ?
Regards,
Brigid
Hello Brigid.
Yes that is correct.
The Ankara fabrics don’t have to be blue. It just has to be a nice mix that fits in well with the blue trim, like in the picture I attached.
1 inch thickness is ok. I would like to have cotton batting.
Hey Christine,
Thank you for the feedback. We unfortunately only have 100 per cent polyester quilt batting here. The cotton variant isn't available here but the polyester one will do an amazing job as well.
It's thick, comfortable, breathable and foldable too and can work just as great.
Looking forward to your response
Hello Brigid.
Then please go ahead with polyester.
That's great.
I shall do the layout before pieceing the pieces together and take a snapshot before I proceed and share the same with you.
Yes please. That’s a good idea.
Hey Christine, I got the batting already.
I'll upload video in the course of this coming week on the layout
Ok looking forward to it
I have uploaded the layout.
Hello Brigid. The layout looks good. i had never imagined the pattern looking like that but I like it.
I am glad you love it. Let me proceed with the stitching
Hello Brigid.
What is the progress of the playmat?
The mat is stitched up. I have pinned all three layers, the mat, batting and backing.
Next step is stitching all three together then closing up the sides and its done. I have attached a picture.
Sorry for the delay but I am hopeful to be done by saturday
Ok.
hey christina, i shall be sharing the final product photos tomorrow. the mat is ready
Hey Christina
sorry I've been experiencing phone issues. The mat is ready. I've shared some videos and photos.
Hi Brigid. It looks good. Thank you for the videos. Helped to see more details than the photos.
Hey Christina, my name is Noel I'm the local operations manager. I've rated the items as neutral because some stitches are missing. I've sent the item back to Brigid to rework the stitches. Overall the mat looks good but if you look closely you'll notice that the sewing machine she used was not powerful enough to make perfect stitches. Kindly let us know what you think. Enjoy your day.
Hello Noela.
I can’t really tell as I have no close up photos. Despite zooming in the stitches can’t really be seen. Since the blanket is meant to be a gift I absolutely agree that the stitches have to be perfect, so thank you for sending it back.
I’m looking forward to seeing the uldated photos after it’s been redone.
I made all the necessary corrections and the mat is ready.
Ok. Thank you.
The Finished Unique Piece – Individually Handmade
Reference: ON001426E-10665
Detailed Cost Breakdown
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Cost of material |
35.24
|
| Cost of labour |
15.1
|
| Cost of packaging |
0
|
| Cost of delivery to local operations manager |
0
|
| Subtotal – payout to artisan |
50.34
|
| Customer acquisition costs (advertising etc.) |
5.03
|
| Handling fee Urban Change Lab |
5.03
|
| Shipping costs from Kenya to Germany* |
10
|
| VAT (Germany)* |
13.38
|
| Total |
83.78
|
*Shipping costs and VAT vary depending on your location.
Each price shown is based on a unique, custom request. Final prices may vary depending on materials, effort, and delivery location.
