Quiet Book - The Project Begins

I'm not sure how it started.  I believe it was when we decided to drive to Canada to visit my parents.  I knew that it was a 9 hour drive, but at the time we didn't realize that we'd drive it overnight, so all I could think of was ways to keep the Dews occupied. (of course, once we decided to drive overnight so they could sleep, my time constraint to get it done was gone ... so the project has lingered ...)

I had already fallen in love with the idea of Activity Bags (oh I'll post more about them as time goes on.)  But I was fascinated with the idea of a Quiet Book.  I think that I wish I'd had one when I was little.


About a year ago, I googled it and all I really found was the link to the Simplicity Pattern (which I picked up one time when JoAnn's had a 10/$10 sale.  I also got a Christmas Quiet Book pattern that day.)  Both patterns remain unopened.


So then I googled it again a few months ago.  Wow!  What a difference!  Links galore!  I was so happy to see such a wealth of information.  But, of course, with such information comes decisions.


Do I make one that is stitched together and done?  Do I make one in a 3-ring binder?  Do I just make loose pages and put them into a folio of some sort?  Do I put grommets in the edges and use binder rings?  Everyone has a different approach, and I love them all.


So I just decided to start sewing and see what happens.

My Decisions:

1.  Page Size:  I decided to use 12x12 (before sewing.)
2.  Page Fabric:  I decided to use muslin, but then scored a huge hit on Freecycle - a woman had purchased the contents of a fabric store and was giving away everything she didn't want!  I am not kidding when I tell you that I could have filled my car.  I had to be careful b/c we don't have tons of room, and a lot of it was knits, but i did find a good amount of medium weight fabric that will work well for the backgrounds on these pages.
3.  Binding:  I decided to go with the buttonhole on the edge / bound with binder rings.  I will make cover pages at some point.  I have yet to actually buttonhole and bind any, but then again, I've only made about 4 pages.


I will try to include patterns when I can.  I have found myself to be frustrated by blogs that I am inspired by but don't have patterns, so I've tried to stop myself and scan when I can.


My pages are few and not bound, and, in fact, my book is well in it's infancy.  I've been distracted by one of thousands of other projects.  By the time I finish this, my grandchildren may be the ones playing with it.


I will do another post with links to my inspiration blog pages.