Anna's Quiet Book

I am so excited about the quiet book that we get to show you today! It's by Anna at Forty-two Roads, and it's one of the first ones I came across when I was making my own quiet book a year ago. It has been one of my favorites ever since.

Anna's quiet book is called "Close your Clothes!" Each page has an item of clothing - with buttons, snaps, a belt, etc. - that children can practice opening and closing. By playing with the book, they can practice the motor skills they need to put on their own clothes. On top of that, Anna wrote poems for each page that have to do with each specific activity. The poems are so cute and clever; you can check them out here. Here are Anna's pictures of "Close Your Clothes!":

Interview

What's your name? Describe yourself in one sentence.
My name is Anna from Forty-Two Roads. I am an artist, a crafter, a mother, and a scholar. Not necessarily always in that order.

Who did you make this quiet book for? How old are they?
I made this book for my daughter, for her second birthday. Then it went to my son when turned turned 2. She is now about to turn 7, and he is 3.

What's your level of sewing experience?
I am a self-taught, beginner-medium sewer. I have no formal training but tend to be pretty good at figuring stuff out.

How long did it take you?
Oh, it seems like an eternity. Probably 40 hours total? Spread over a month or so.

Did you use any templates? Where can they be found?
No templates, everything, including the poems, is just from my own head.

How did you bind your quiet book? What material are the pages made out of?
1. The pages are just sewn right onto the book spine individually. Because they are fabric, that one seam doesn't interfere with turning the page. Just be sure to leave enough room around each attached page so the book can be folded flat (about 1/4 inch on each side). The cover is done the same way, just at the edge of the spine instead of the middle. The spine is made the same way the pages are - which leads me to answer #2.
2. You can think of each page as a pillow stuffed with a piece of study felt - that's basically how I did it. I cut rectangles of muslin (2 per page), sewed the page content onto them, and then sewed them together with a piece of felt inside.

What other materials did you use?
I used a bunch of my daughter's outgrown clothes, hair things, and a pair of her shoes.

How much did all the supplies cost you?
Zero. I made it with all things I already had on hand.

What's your favorite page? Why?
My favorite page is the cover because I think "Close Your Clothes" is a silly pun - and those are the best kind.

To see Anna's book in more detail (with poems!) click here. To check out her very crafty Etsy shop, click here. Thank you, Anna, for sharing your awesomely creative book with us!

Have you made a quiet book that you'd like to share? Click here for instructions on how to submit your own quiet book!