This ten pages Quiet Book (QB in short) is – like this activity board – a toy which helps development of children’s fine motor skills. And what’s also interesting for the parents is the fact that the name fits the effect of the toy perfectly. The child is entertained with the activities in the book and plays quietly for a while.
I have been preparing for this project for a long time and the right moment came with Mina’s second birthday. This project was really time-demanding but it was also a beautiful creative work. I really enjoyed planning the activities as well as creating them. You can watch the following video to see all the pages and their activities:
Table of Contents
The Quiet Book Inspiration
In this tutorial I would like to show you all 10 pages of the book I’ve made. Some ideas were inspired by other quiet books and are well-known in the quiet book community, other ideas are my own completely. I will explain the construction of the pages and if you want to know how to make the book cover, check out this tutorial.
This book is 30 x 30 cm, the pages are made from firm felt sheets and the fabric decorations are also from felt. The book cover is made from cotton canvas reinforced with fusible fleece. There are two bookbinding rings attached to the center of the cover and each page has 2 grommets through which the pages are attached to the rings.
First, let me explain to you briefly how to construct the felt sheet page. These pages don’t need to be reinforced with fusible fleece.
After you have attached all the activities to the page, measure where the grommets will be (red dots in the picture above). Both grommets should be placed at the same distance from the edges of the page and also from the center. Then punch holes in the two places and place the grommet.
Put two pages wrong side together and stitch all 4 sides together about 0,5 cm from the edges.
When the pages are stitched together, hem all 4 sides with a bias tapes. Your page is done.
And now to the most fun part – the activities. I hope you enjoyed the video above and now you can take a look at the photos with the description of the activities:
Front page
The letter “A” was made using the technique Amish stumpwork.
Collecting fruit
The fruit is attached to the page with hook-and-loop fastener (velcro) and can be collected into the basket. The sun is made from a mirror and it’s rays are made from different materials.
Who lives there?
The roof tiles move when you stroke them with your hand. The door has a tiny keyhole for the key that hands next to the door. Behind the door and the windows there are photos of the children, parents and grandparents sewn into a transparent foil.
Dressing up
The washing machine is a spy bag – foil filled with beads that hide several tiny objects which the kids can find moving the beads away. Above the washing machine there is a cord with laundry and tiny wooden pins. The clothes can be placed on the boy to dress him.
It’s raining!
It’s raining colorful zippers from the cloud into the pond. The fish in the pond can be moved on the string. The butterflies can be moved, too, as they are stitched to the page only on the top.
In the garden
There’s a ladybug living in the garden. Her spots are hidden behind the zipper and can be attached to the ladybug with snap fasteners. A spider and a snail are hiding in the grass. The flowers can be unbuttoned. The pod with a golden closing is is the home of three mischievous peas.
Mouse in the cheese
The mouse on a leather string moves through the holes in the Emmenthaler.
On the farm
The animals live behind a fence in a barn and they are finger puppets. The vegetables can be harvested in the box.
Notes
There’s a treble staff and a bass staff. Some magnets are hidden under the staffs and some more attached to the backside of the notes, rests, flat, sharp and natural.
Doing the hair
The redhead’s hair can be done with the elastic bands in her pocket and hairclips. The young lady is wearing beaded necklace matching her t-shirt.
Clips
6 straps are attached to this page, each one with a backpack clip.
I attached a pocket to the inner backside of the book cover, it turned out to be very practical for all the things that fall from the book while the toddler plays with it.
I hope Mina’s book inspired you to make a book for your child. Don’t forget to check out the tutorial on the book cover!
creative diy. what material do you use?
It’s mostly felt but also cotton canvas.