My "map" of Heartlake City

[daisy]

Well this is not actually made with LEGO. But a way to display/play with LEGO at our home.

We really needed a storable way to display/play with our LEGO sets. (Dont have room for more tables, and the bare surfaces were overflowing and disordered) We have mostly Friends sets, so I created a map of Hearlake City. I saw this one on lego.com. But it is pretty small, and I would rather spend the money on actual LEGO. My other hobby is quilting (I have an affinity for putting colored shapes together ) I used only fabric I had on hand as I didn't want to spend money that could go for LEGO, so the patterns/colors aren't my ideal choices, but I think they work. Currently I know my 2 little (5 & 3) girls are going to mostly play on it. But I hope as they get older we be able to use it to design nice displays each winter. And now I get to "make nice displays" ( or play ) after they go to bed.

So here is Heartlake City:

It is about 3' by 5', I designed it freehand based on the map that comes in the sets.

Here: with LEGO set up. Even though it is on carpet - it is flat/sturdy enough for minidolls to stand. The binding on the edge keeps pieces from wandering off into the short shag.

There is plenty of room for new sets/mocs. My girls couldnt resist playing with it right away, those minidolls below are swimming/sunbathing And although I set it up with friends sets for pics, soon afterwards minifigures and other sets/mocs joined the friends. We are very pro LEGO integration around here

[slovakiasteph]

Very nice! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with that! I still line my LEGO sets up around the room so I have access to all of them like I did when I was a kid. :)

[Redhead1982]

Nice work with Heartlake Map. It seems very useful as a playing mat for various sets.

[Chocolatecake]

What a good idea, there is some kind of love build in a homemade map for the buildings.

[LegoMyMamma]

Very neat idea! We already spend so much on LEGO bricks It's hard to make room for all the fun gear & apparel items too. Great solution!

[greg3]

Great idea and excellent end result!! I can tell that your girls (and you!) are going to get a lot of pleasure from it!

[lightningtiger]

Cool playmat 'daisy'.....pity Lego hasn't made there own, actually it's also a great build mat too.

Brick On with your Friends 'daisy' !

[Kristel]

This is a great idea and nicely executed. My daughter would love this!

[Pandora]

It really is a great idea (so much so that, as you showed, TLG also make one), and clearly it's very much enjoyed already.

Having something like this allows the sets to be played with together, and brings out the details and interactive elements.

[daisy]

Thanks all :) thanks pandora ;)

And yes LEGO does have a playmat just for Friends. I linked to it in the OP. It is 8.6 square feet, and mine is 15 square feet. I knew it would be full with just the sets we have now. Of course by the end of the year ours will be full too. I am also looking forward to the big boat coming this summer ( the dolphin cruiser) so we needed some seaside.

Edited January 12, 2013 by daisy

[Ferrik]

Great work on creating a map of Heartlake City. That heart-shaped pond/lake looks great.

[Maya]

What a wonderful idea! I especially like the beach area!

I've also been trying to think of a good way to display all of my Friends collection. With all the sets that have come out, I'm close to running out of display area. Your idea is a great inspiration.

[daisy]

What a wonderful idea! I especially like the beach area!

I've also been trying to think of a good way to display all of my Friends collection. With all the sets that have come out, I'm close to running out of display area. Your idea is a great inspiration.

It was actually only requires very basic sewing skills.

I also briefly thought about the idea of drawing a large map on fabric, or on some type of paper then laminating. But I am a much better artist with fabric and scissors, than pencils and pens.