The Plain Mary Kensington Playmat is worth the $190. They were kind enough to send a sample (Which I will be returning, so it has nothing to do with my review. If I think something is horrible, I'm going to say so.) I asked the one person who would know about blanket quality, my 90 year old grandmother. She comes from a time when most products were made with care and to last, and she quilts.
My first question to her was, "Does this look like a nice blanket?" She put it on her lap, turned it over and looked close. She examined the seams and embroidery. She spent about 5 minutes looking at the work that went into the play mat before she told me that it looked like it would last a long time.
Then I asked her, "Would you spend $190 for it?" I also had to explain that it was a baby blanket for the floor. She said she wouldn't buy it for a baby, but it was totally worth $190. If she had the extra $190 (Which is her way of hinting that she wants me to buy it for her.) she would buy one for herself. It seems besides being a good playmat, it is also a good lap throw.
Then she started making puppy dog eyes at me. It seems that I am now expected to buy one for her. Too bad I already have bought her Christmas gift, but Valentine's Day is coming.
So after showing the blanket to my grandmother I went around asking my neighbors with babies what they thought.If you stand in my front yard for ten minutes a baby appears. They all loved it.
My advice is to buy one if you can afford it, but embroider your last name on it. That way it can be used for multiple children and then draped over a chair or sofa.
Plain Mary is also expanding the embroidery options to include teddy bears, name and date, and zodiac signs.And here is the rest of it.
Also of interest:
Plain Mary
