shoutingforha

Showing posts with label felt. Show all posts

12.27.2013

The Quiet Book - Made For An Elmo Loving Little Girl

I have been busy the past few weeks making another quiet book. This one was for my adorable niece Charlotte, a.k.a. Chachie. How cute is that?!

This time I decided to replace the usual grommets with a simple whip-stitched hole. I find that the grommets are difficult to install and they are quite costly.

I stitched the pages together and then used a good old-fashioned paper punch to make the holes. I was surprised by how easily the paper punch handled the two plies of felt.

I used embroidery floss and a whip stitch to reinforce the holes. I really like how it looks and am thinking of ditching the grommets permanently. What do you think?

This quiet book has all the standard pages.

This was the first time that I used matching buttons for all of the train wheels. I think it makes them pop.

The barn is one of my favorite pages.

I found some cute new animal fabrics to use inside the barn. I especially like the horses and the squirrel with the acorn.

I tried to use girly colors throughout the book. I found the belt at my local Goodwill for $0.99. Score!

One of Chachie's greatest loves is Elmo. She likes to watch Elmo on television, talks about him constantly and even dressed up like the furry red monster for Halloween. I decided to create an Elmo page specifically for Chachie's book.

Elmo's nose, mouth and the letters E-L-M-O are attached with velcro. Hopefully Chachie will enjoy making Elmo's expression change from happy to sad.

I tucked a picture of the cutie inside the tent just like in my other books.

All of the removable pieces are attached to the book with velcro. I always make sure that I put the soft side of the velcro on the pieces and the rough side on the pages.

I decided to forgo the use of grommets on the shoe as well. I think that the reinforced holes will be just as sturdy.

I really hope that Chachie enjoys her Quiet Book. I have a feeling that it will come in handy when her new baby sister makes an appearance in May.

Here's a supply list for those who are interested:

11 white felt sheets
4 red felt sheets
5 pale blue felt sheets
2 lime green felt sheets
1 lavender felt sheet
1 orange felt sheet
2 yellow felt sheets
1 black felt sheet
2 navy blue felt sheets
1 pale pink felt sheet
1 medium pink felt sheet
1 bright pink felt sheet
1 bright blue felt sheet
1 cream felt sheet
1 bright purple felt sheet
1 dark purple felt sheet
1 turquoise felt sheet
1 gray felt sheet
1 dark green felt sheet
1 army green felt sheet
misc. scraps of animal print fabric
4 1/2 feet of ribbon in a complimentary color
1 pkg. soft velcro
11 buttons
1 shoe lace
1 belt
3 snaps
1 short zipper
thread in a variety of colors
white and black embroidery floss
fabric paint in a variety of colors

To check out the other Quiet Books I've made click here.

*** Feel free to use my design to make a quiet book for someone that you love. That said, I request that you refrain from using my design to create products for sale. Thanks!

1.25.2012

Pocket Hearts

My sister is the proud mama to three beautiful little kids, two girls and a boy. In addition to taking care of her brood and running her household, she works full time. I honestly don't know how she manages to get it all done. I know that I wouldn't last a minute in her shoes.

Her oldest daughter is an independent first grader that is overflowing with boundless energy, never runs out of things to talk about, is deeply thoughtful and loves to be creative. The wee man of the house is only sixteen months old. Although he is learning to talk and races around like a maniac, he still requires a lot of attention as all tiny people do.

The middle child, my niece, well... She reminds me of my boy. She is silly, talkative, feisty and, at times, highly emotional. She also has this incredibly tender side that loves to snuggle and longs to be near the people she loves every moment of every day. Needless to say, she has been having a hard time when her beloved mommy heads off to work.

My sister and I were discussing this situation last week (she always calls me during her commute home). Her desire was to find some way to remind her sweet little girl how much she loves her even when they can't be together.

I suggested a jar of pocket hearts.

I had remembered seeing the cute little felt hearts in one of our local shops several years ago, although I cannot remember where. The hearts can be tucked into a pocket within easy reach should a child need a little reminder of their parent's love. I thought they would be perfect for my niece.

My sister loved the idea, but since she works harder than anyone else I know, I offered to do all the crafting myself. To make the pocket hearts, I cut hearts out of different colors of felt, stuffed them with a little bit of polyfill and used embroidery floss and a simple blanket stitch to seal the edges.

The hearts are so easy to make that I decided to give my sister an entire jar full. With three kids, it's only a matter of time before a few disappear like so many socks in the laundry. Besides, sharing is highly overrated.

*** UPDATE: A friend told me that Curly Birds recently did a post on pocket hearts over at her blog. Stop by and check them out.

12.16.2011

The Quiet Book - Girly Version

Today I would like to share another version of my felt Quiet Book. This one was made for an adorable little girl named Emmie.

The majority of the pages are identical to the other book, although you might notice a slightly pinker color palate.

I used an assortment of old buttons for the wheels on the train.

All of the removable pieces, like the moon and stars, are made from two pieces of felt that have been sewn together and are attached to the book with a piece of soft velcro.

A friend gave me the scrap of pink fabric with the farm girls on it. I thought it would be perfect behind one of the barn doors.

For this girly version of the Quiet Book, I decided to make a purple mitten. It's just the right size for a tiny hand to slip inside.

Even the shoe has a feminine flair. They eyelets of the shoe are made from grommets that I stitched around with embroidery floss to make them extra secure. I picked up the belt at our local thrift store for $1.00.

I used fabric paint to write all of the words and mark the places for the shapes. I also use the paint to add little details to the book like the friendly faces on the fish and the message on the letter.

When I make a quiet book, I like to personalize it to suit the child I'm making it for. In this case, the little girl loves to play with her mommy's makeup.

I hope she will enjoy pretending to put makeup on the lady's face instead of ruining her mother's expensive stuff.


© shoutingforha

One of my favorite pages of the book is the tent. Children love unzipping it to reveal their own sweet face. As before, the picture can be easily swapped out for another.

I hope that Emmie will get as much joy from her book as I had making it.

I've had a few people ask for a supply list. Here goes:

11 white felt sheets
3 red felt sheets
5 pale blue felt sheets
2 lime green felt sheets
1 orange felt sheet
2 yellow felt sheets
1 black felt sheet
2 navy blue felt sheets
1 pale pink felt sheet
1 medium pink felt sheet
1 bright pink felt sheet
1 bright blue felt sheet
1 cream felt sheet
1 bright purple felt sheet
1 dark purple felt sheet
1 turquoise felt sheet
1 gray felt sheet
1 dark green felt sheet
1 army green felt sheet
1 brown felt sheet
misc. scraps of animal print fabric
4 1/2 feet of ribbon in a complimentary color
1 pkg. soft velcro
11 buttons
24 large grommets
6 small grommets
1 shoe lace
1 belt
3 snaps
1 short zipper
fabric paint in a variety of colors

To check out a Quiet Book I made for a little boy, click here.

*** Feel free to use my design to make a quiet book for someone that you love. That said, I request that you refrain from using my design to create products for sale. Thanks!

5.08.2010

The Quiet Book

One of the young fellows that works for my hubby has a deliciously adorable little boy named Harvey. The Harvster turned one on Thursday and his parents are having a party this afternoon to celebrate the momentous occasion.

At the hubby's request, I have been working on a quiet book for the little man. It's a close replica to the one I originally made for my boy's first birthday.

The book is made almost entirely of felt. In my opinion, it is the perfect material for this type of project. Here's why...

First, felt is incredibly durable and doesn't fray like other fabrics. Second, it is inexpensive and comes in a million different colors. And third, the pre-cut sheets are the perfect size for the pages of the book.

Hidden inside the pocket is this little note. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I used my sewing machine to secure many of the pieces, like this train, to the pages of the book. I prefer to use matching thread whenever possible. The process is rather tedious, but is well worth the time and effort.

Old buttons were used for the wheels.

The belt is from my boy's closet. It no longer fits around his waist, so I cut it to fit this tiny pair of pants.

While the sides and top of the baseball glove are securely attached to the page, the bottom was left open. It forms a pocket that is just the right size for a tiny hand to slide inside.

When I made my niece's quiet book, I replaced the glove with a brightly-colored mitten.

The doors on the barn can be opened to reveal cute little animal friends.

All of the removable pieces, like these shapes, are made from two pieces of felt that have been sewn together. They attach to the book with velcro.

The eyelets for the shoelace were made using grommets. I also placed three grommets down one side of each page. They make assembling the book and turning the pages a snap.

Harvey is already being indoctrinated into the St. Louis Cardinals fan club. I decided to make a miniature Albert Pujols so that Harvey can help the MLB star run around the bases after a grand slam.

All of the words, with the exception of those on the cover, were written with fabric paint. It is relatively inexpensive and comes in a rainbow of colors.

Inside the tent is a picture of the birthday boy (I told you he was adorable). The photo, which rests in a pocket, can be easily swapped out as desired.

Once all the pages were completed, I paired them up and sewed them back-to-back. A coordinating ribbon was used to tie the whole thing together. I placed a few quick stitches into the knot of the bow to ensure that the book doesn't fall apart.

After my boy examined Harvey's completed book, he asked me to retrieve his own quiet book from the top of the closet. It was carefully packed in a box along with some of his most precious keepsakes. He flipped through it's pages, removing and replacing each shape and unzipping the tent to reveal his once chubby cheeks.

I hope that little Harvey will enjoy his new quiet book.

I've had a few people ask for a supply list. Here goes:

10 white felt sheets
2 lime green felt sheets
3 red felt sheets
2 yellow felt sheets
5 pale blue felt sheets
1 orange felt sheet
1 purple felt sheet
1 turquoise felt sheet
1 bright blue felt sheet
1 bright pink felt sheet
2 dark green felt sheets
1 black felt sheet
1 gray felt sheet
2 dark blue felt sheets
2 brown felt sheets
1 cream felt sheet
misc. scraps of animal print fabric
thread in matching colors, although you can sew everything in white thread
4 1/2 ft. of ribbon in a complimentary color
1 pkg. soft velcro
1 shoelace
3 sets of snaps
1 short zipper
11 buttons
24 large grommets
10 small grommets
1 belt
1 photo for inside the tent
fabric paint in a variety of colors

To check out a Quiet Book I made for a little girl, click here.

*** Feel free to use my design to make a quiet book for someone that you love. That said, I request that you refrain from using my design to create products for sale. Thanks!