My sister in law asked me to make a tag blanket for a friend who’s having a baby, and while I was at it I also stitched up a marble maze for the new Mom.  This isn’t something I’d give a baby (it does have a marble in it), but it’s something Mom might want to keep in her purse later on when her toddler needs a little quiet time in church or the grocery store.

It’s just two pieces of fabric sewn together, with an opening left for turning and a ribbon stitched in.  (I cut my pieces about 6″x 9″ and triple stitched around the edges, so it would be extra strong.)  Then I stitched lines about 1.25″ apart, stopping at least 1/25″ away from the opposite side to give the marble room to move.  Alternate the starting sides for the lines and it makes a nice, simple maze.

Slip the marble in the opening and sew that end up, then slide the marble through the maze.  It’s so soothing, even the adults I’ve handed it to love to play with it.

When it’s rolled up and tied with the ribbon, it takes up very little room in a purse and makes a nice alternative to a “quiet book”.  And it only takes about five minutes to make!