Quiet Book - the last one

After I made the first quiet book I swore I'd never made another one.  I love how it turned out and it truly was fun making it but I struggled greatly with having to work on it in thirty or sixty minute increments.  With a baby around, I could only work during naps and by the time I hauled out all my sewing stuff and left time to get it put away, I had a very small window of time for actual sewing.  The first quiet book was a lesson for me about doing big projects in small chunks but I didn't learn my lesson well and to this day I still feel frustrated when I have to split a big task up into several small pieces due to time constraints.  I am a person who likes to tackle a big project and work on it for hours at a time and that just doesn't happen with little ones around.  

Anyway, while blog-hopping one day I came across this blog with some great templates for making a quiet book.  I bookmarked it and kept going back to look.  I just knew I had to make another quiet book because I kept thinking of ideas for new quiet book pages late at night.  Little Lady's first birthday was still a couple of months away and I figured I had time to do a book.  After all, Mini Me received a quiet book for his first birthday and it seemed fitting for Little Lady to have one, too.  So, I jumped in (and it took the full two months to finish!).

Without further ado, here is the last quiet book.  I am sinfully proud of how this one turned out, too.  

The cover is made with the same type of vinyl as the first book but I made this one double-sided.  It was really difficult to sew that thickness and as a result it looks a little wonky.  I used the grommets and book rings again for binding.  I made a serious mis-measurement and the grommets are placed too far in.  But, it works.  This one is also closed with a snap flap.

The first page is all about flowers.  The flower on the left is a crocheted flower my late grandmother made that we rediscovered this summer in some old sewing supplies.  How cool is that?  It's a fun texture for Little Lady to play with.  The large flower has Velcro petals that are to be attached in number order (and a pattern, too!).  The petals can be stored in the burlap flower pot at the bottom.  

Pages two and three are about food.  The plate is modeled after the new USDA food guide that I blogged about here in June.  The food can be buttoned and unbuttoned from the plate (see the color coordination?) and stored in the picnic basket on the other page.  The picnic basket is also made of ribbons for weaving practice.

Page four is a barn with doors that open to reveal a pocket where cow, chicken, and pig finger puppets are stored.  I made another mis-measurement and made the finger puppets way too big for the barn but they turned out too cute to scrap.
Page five is a kite puzzle that can be Velcro-ed on and some soft, fluffy clouds to touch.

Page six has a ballet slipper for tying practice (but no lacing, as the laces are sewed down all the way to the tie).  I added the tutu as an afterthought for the added texture of being able to feel the tulle and realize it looks a little disproportionate with the slipper.  Oh well.
Page seven is a shape and color matching game.  A basketball or a clock can be Velcro-ed to the circle, a tent (I even tried to make tent flaps and a little campfire on it!) or a party hat to the triangle, and a book or a window to the square.  A major shout-out to my husband who thought of this page all by himself and gave me suggestions for how to make it all.

 Pages eight and nine are for dress up.  A suitcase with a fun vinyl flap zips open and is to store the extra shirts, skirts, shoes, and shorts the girl can wear, as well as a little mirror.  The clothes can be snapped on and off the girl.  Isn't her curly hair fun?

Page ten is about the seasons.  Pretty flowers for spring, colorful leaves for autumn, and green leaves for summer can be Velcro-ed on to the tree.  If it's left bare, it's winter!  The pieces are stored in the pocket at the bottom and a fluffy cloud adds the finishing touch.  

Lots of thought, frantic nap times of sewing, and several trips to the fabric store have given me another great family heirloom.  So far this quiet book is very popular with both children - I've had to break up several wrestling matches over the finger puppets and shapes page already.  

Here is Little Lady opening the quiet book on her birthday.  She already has the cow finger puppet on her finger!

Check out Quiet Book - the first one