Shelley's Quiet Book

Our newest quiet book is kind of unique, as it was made in Guatemala! Shelley and her husband Jim from Livin'Our Dreams are missionaries serving the people of that country. When her twin boys turned one, Shelley made this beautiful quiet book for them. It's really well made, and each page features a different nature scene with lots of animal finger puppets to play with! This quiet book is so beautiful and looks so fun.

Interview

What's your name? Describe yourself in one sentence.
Shelley, I am a Christ follower completely in love with the wonderful family that God has given to me!   

Who did you make this quiet book for? How old are they?
My twin boys (Jonah & Silas) for their first birthday.   

What's your level of sewing experience?
I grew up sewing with my mom. My seam ripper and I have a love/hate relationship. I read a lot of books and online tutorials to try and improve.   

How long did it take you?  
Probably 2 months worth of nap times. My twins were good sleepers. I only had templates for some of the animals and the barn, so the planning stage took extra time. Maybe a little under 20 hours.   

Did you use any templates? Where can they be found?
 Some of the animal finger puppet templates are for sale at The Idea Room  http://www.theidearoom.net/idea-room-store The barn is from Homemade by Jill http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/07/quiet-book-templates.html.   

How did you bind your quiet book?
I made some bias tape out of felt to bind my pages front to back. I found some cardboard-like stiff felt to put in between them before I bound them. Then I used grommets to reinforce the holes to attach all the pages on 3 metal rings.   

What material are the pages made out of?
Mine are all out of felt. I would have preferred to use fleece just because I think it might be a little more durable, but that is not available where I live.  (My family and I are missionaries in rural Petén, Guatemala.)  

What other materials did you use?
100% felt other than the metal rings and grommets. I used embroidery floss for all of the sewing. I did it by hand, since I didn't think I could be as accurate with my machine.   

How much did all the supplies cost you? 
Under $10 probably, I had everything on hand, so I'm not sure.  

What's your favorite page? Why?
Probably the jungle page since that is where we live!
 
I made this for my boys' first birthday, but I think it is way more age appropriate now that they are 3. They love the animals, but I have since then made some Bible character felt finger puppets to tell stories with, and I think we have more play options with them. Just maybe a tad bit more educational. I love that my boys know that their mommy made this for them. They think their mommy or daddy could make anything and can teach them how too as well. Handmade really inspires creativity in children and a desire to know how things work when they are allowed to be part of the process!  So many learning opportunities together! 


You can see more details of Shelley's quiet book (and their life in Guatemala!) here on her blog. Thank you so much, Shelley, for sharing your wonderful 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!