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?

Quiet Book - Simplicity Patterns

So I found these two patterns in the Simplicity Pattern Book.  I bought them both one day when JoAnn's had a 10/$10 sale on them.

Neither have left their envelopes.  I meant to make the Christmas one for Dew2 for his first Christmas, and then didn't.  Financially, the fabric was just a little too much at the time.  But hopefully for this year?  The more I look at it, the more I realize that the fabric doesn't have to be that fancy - all on felt would be just fine.  Next time felt goes on 20/$1 I'm all over it.

And the regular one - even though I no longer plan to make the book this particular way, I plan to make these pages using the patterns.

Simplicity #3709 - Baby's First Book

Simplicity #2726 - Holiday Soft Book

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.