Thanks to all of you for your response. I hope this will inspire others. I just finished six more of these. Instead of birthing method, I used scrap binding which adds a bit of color. Some ideas, sew a 3 inch square to mat, stuffing it with a piece of batting which gives a bumpy feel. If you have a squeaker, cover that with a square. I also use tulle and slip some sequins in the square. I didn't put any beads on the mats for safety reasons. I did make a child's quiet mat using fat quarters, binding it and adding handles for carrying. Everyone at my nieces baby shower liked it.