Quiet Book - Shape Puzzle Page

My first page!  You'd think I'd have chosen an easier one, but the inspiration to it looked easy ... and then I started to modify it a little and then trouble began.

I used a Discovery Toys Progressive Puzzle as the pattern.  Traced it onto the white felt, then cut it apart.  My first mistake.  Were I to do it again, or help anyone else do it, I'd do this.

1. Trace the puzzle onto the felt.

2. With the felt still in a square, sew the velcro onto the white pieces.

3.  Arrange and sew the shapes onto the white felt.  Be sure to watch how they overlap the piece lines so there are not any little pieces hanging around or left behind.  Each shape will require two separate sewing lines - around one half and then on the inside of the jigsaw shape, and then around the other side and on the inside of the jigsaw shape.  When sewing the shapes on, be sure to follow the jigsaw lines on the pieces. 

4.  Take your scissors and carefully cut along the jigsaw lines.  you will cut through the shapes, but because of your careful sewing, the pieces will separate perfectly.

I, on the other hand, cut the pieces apart, then had to fit them together and pin the pieces on.  And then I cut again.  Doh.  Then I had to sew the open jigsaw parts together (I should have done it by hand at this point) and everything was sliding around and it got very messy.

The bottom.  I traced the paper shape patterns onto the background, and stitched around it with black thread.  Also, sewed on the velcro after matching it up to the pieces.

All in all, I'm very happy with it.  Doing it a second time would be so much easier ... but isn't it always?