Inspiration: I wanted something to keep my toddler busy in the car while we are on vacation this summer. I needed something that she wouldn't lose parts of or make a mess with that was appropriate for her age. So I went to search for inspiration on the net and came across some pages I had bookmarked for future reference. A felt quiet book with various activities with all the small parts attached seems like a perfect solution!
Step 1: I made a list of the types of pages I wanted to include. I then went to work creating my patterns. I free-handed most of my patterns, only printing one of the eight ... I will include a link later in the blog for the one I borrowed!
*Keep in mind if you are going to add a binding edge later, you will want to leave the space on the left side of the page to attach it when creating your patterns. I chose to make my patterns for a 9" x 12" portrait layout book and then add an edge. You could also rotate your page to landscape and create a 9" x 9" page with the remaining 3" left for the binding edge instead of attaching a separate piece.
Step 2: I then chose a 9" x 12" sheet of felt for each page based on what color I needed the background to be.
Step 3: Since the felt sheets themselves are a bit flimsy, I wanted to give them a second layer. I have stacks of flannel prints that I have purchased on sale, so I chose to use that to back my felt pages. I laid my felt page down on the back of a sheet of flannel and cut out around it, leaving about a half inch of extra fabric all the way around. I did this for each of the pages I plan to include in the book. I have chosen 8 pages at this time. They all have their own design on the back of the pages!!
Step 4: After choosing all my flannel and cutting out the pieces I will be using, I heated up the iron and pressed my flannel pieces flat. I then pinned my felt to the back side of my flannel pieces, with the right side facing OUT and stitched around the outside edge of the felt, leaving only about an eighth of an inch around.
I did not want to have to turn the pages out, since the felt would keep the page from laying flat if turned. After stitching the pieces together, I trimmed the flannel to be the same size as the felt. I may use some fray stop or a bit of liquid stitch to the edges of the flannel to make sure they do not fray. I will only do this on the top, bottom and right side since I will be adding a binding edge to the left side of the page.
Next Step : Cutting out pieces for and assembling my first page! Stay tuned for more to come ...
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