Quite a while back Chez Beeper Bebe did a post about a lap desk that she made for her son for traveling in the car.  I think this is a great idea! Chez Beeper made hers based on MerMag’s Tutorial.

I finished this literally the night before getting on the road to drive to Washington from Kentucky… hence no post until now.  I’m still unpacking and catching up online.

I made Little Bit’s very similarly to both MerMag’s and Chez Beepers.

I for the most part, I only used materials that I had on hand.  The only thing I didn’t have on hand were some buttons that were flat and were cute with the fabrics I was using.

I started out with plain white linen.  I followed the tutorial pretty closely and deviated where needed, like Chez Beeper.

I cut down an extra pillow for the pillow insert.  It has a zipper, so I can take out some more of the polyfill if needed…. which it was.

I used a Pimpernel placemat instead of a masonite board.  Pimpernel placemats are heat resistant and have a cork backing.  I already had extras on hand and it was the perfect size!  I doubled the white linen throughout, so the design on the placemat doesn’t show through.

I also made the closure with velcro, so I can open it to take out the pillow and placemat to wash the cover.  I’ve already washed it a couple of times. :)

I had to use this cute and whimsical bug fabric!  I’d bought it just because I thought it would be a cute kid fabric.  I didn’t know what I was going to do with it until I started digging for fabric for this lap desk.  I knew it would be perfect!  All the other fabrics coordinate with the bug fabric in some way.

I made loads of pockets for Little Bit to put all his treasures and activities in.  I liked Chez Beeper’s idea for a cup holder…. so I added that on one side.  It also is a great holder for a cup of snacks!

Here is the other side.  The little buggy fabric pocket is perfect for a box of raisins!  

It fits very nicely on a chair or car seat.

The buttoned  pockets on both sides are deep enough to hold a standard sized coloring book or notebook.  Perfect for color wonder markers too!