Tara's "Under the Sea" Quiet Book

Oh my gosh, you guys. Today's quiet book is so cute. So cute. I am constantly amazed at all of the talent you guys have, and this book that's been shared with me has brought that home again. You. guys. are. Amazing.

Tara from the blog Spot of Tea Designs made this "Under the Sea" quiet book, and it is fantastic. Each page is so colorful and cute. It has a colorful swimming fish page, a peekaboo clam page, an octopus with beaded arms to practice counting, a colorful snails page with velcro shells, a build-a-sandcastle page, a shell-shapes turtle page, a treasure chest page filled with sea animal finger puppets, a whale (with a zipper mouth) page, and a fish puzzle page. And do you know what's absolutely awesome? Tara made templates for every page in her book, and they are free to download and use if you visit her blog. Enjoy!

Interview

What's your name? Describe yourself in one sentence. 
Tara. I was creative a long time before I was a mom and now I found a way to be both!

Who did you make this quiet book for? How old are they? 
My daughter, age 18 months.

What's your level of sewing experience? 
Beginner, self taught hand sewer.

How long did it take you?
I have no idea, but longer than I expected! I completed this over several weeks whenever I could find time to work on it. Mostly at night or as a passenger in a long car ride.

Did you use any templates? Where can they be found? 
Yes! I made my own and they can be found as free downloads on my blog posts.

• Swimming Fish and Lift the Clam Templates: Spot of Tea Designs: Under the Sea Quiet Book Part 1 
• Counting Octopus, Colorful Snails, Sandcastle, and Shape Turtle Templates: Spot of Tea Designs: Under the Sea Quiet Book Part 2
• Treasure Chest Pocket, Finger Puppet, Zippered Whale, and Puzzle Fish Templates: Spot of Tea Designs: Under the Sea Quiet Book Part 3 

How did you bind your quiet book? 
Book rings and grommets.

What material are the pages made out of? 
Felt.

What other materials did you use? 
Buttons, beads, velcro and shoelace cords were used as accents.

How much did all the supplies cost you? 
I spent maybe $15 on the whole thing as I used a lot of what was already in my collection.

What's your favorite page? Why? 
I like the treasure chest with the pocket for finger puppets.

To view Tara's quiet book on her own blog and to download her templates, check out her "Under the Sea" quiet book posts:
Spot of Tea Designs: Under the Sea Quiet Book Part 1
Spot of Tea Designs: Under the Sea Quiet Book Part 2
Spot of Tea Designs: Under the Sea Quiet Book Part 3

Tara, thank you so much for sharing your awesome quiet book with us! Now off to make my own, haha!

 

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

Jan's Quiet Book

When I made my first quiet book, I bound it like my mom had bound the quiet book I had as a kid - I sewed button holes in the sides of the pages and connected them using binder rings. This option is easy and functional, but I kind of wish I had known at the time about quiet book covers! Since the time I made my own book, I have seen so many cute quiet book covers and wish I had made one for my kids' quiet book.

Today's quiet book has an adorable cover, made by Jan of "Jan's Art Friendzy" for her granddaughter. She made the quiet book cover just like she makes her quilts, and it gives the quiet book a really cute, really sturdy look! I love the handles she added and the velcro clasp. You should really check out the cover she made on this earlier quiet book, too - I love it. It's very quilt-style, and just adorable.

The pages in Jan's book are fantastic, too. Everything looks very clean, sturdy, and well-made. I like the details she added, like choosing fun patterned fabric for plants, pockets, and other things. Anyway, I'll quit rambling so that you can enjoy Jan's awesome book!

 Interview

Who did you make this quiet book for? How old are they? 
I made the book for my granddaughter's 2 year birthday which was at the end of April.

How long did it take you?
I made the book over a couple weeks of sewing an hour here and there in the evening. Most of the time spent on the book was in the planning stages.

How did you bind your quiet book? 
I decided to bind the book just as I bind my quilts. I really like the finished look it gives the book. I wanted Chloe to be able to carry it with her so added handles.

What material are the pages made out of? 
The pages are made from a very firm pellon (can't remember the number) but it is called ultra firm.

What other materials did you use? 
I also used lots of felt and some fabric and buttons.

How much did all the supplies cost you?
I'm not sure of the cost of the book since I used supplies I had on hand. I made a Quiet Book for another granddaughter several years ago and had felt left over so used that.

What's your favorite page? Why?
I think my favorite page in the mailbox. I wrote a birthday post card to Chloe and put it in the mailbox.

To view Jan's quiet book on her own blog, click here: Jan's Art Friendzy: My Granddaughter's Quiet Book. To check out her other quiet book, click here: Jan's Art Friendzy: Quiet Book.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful quiet book with us, Jan!

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

Emma's Quiet Books

Today we have two quiet books that come to us from Emma of Southern Belle Sewing. Emma is actually just in her teens, and she made these for two of her younger siblings! There are so many things that I like about these quiet books - I like the name and felt clasp on the cover of James's book, I love the puzzle pieces for the puzzle page (especially that owl and mouse! wow!), and the rocket page, and the mechanic page...basically all of it.

James's quiet book:

Faith's quiet book:

Interview

What's your name? Describe yourself in one sentence.
Emma. I love to sew for my family of twelve and I'm learning to knit.

Who did you make this quiet book for? How old are they?
My 3 year old brother and my 2 year old sister for Christmas.

What's your level of sewing experience?
My family says I'm great. They don't always see the annoying little things that I do.

How long did it take you?
Less than a month for Faith's. James's I did most of and then put it off for a while to work on other presents. His took the longest because it is completely handsewn.

Did you use any templates? Where can they be found?
I made my own.

How did you bind your quiet book?
Ties for James's and a lot of work and frustration for Faith's including a broken needle.

What material are the pages made out of?
James's is completely felt and Faith's is mostly cotton from my huge fabric stash

What other materials did you use?
Snaps, buttons, Velcro, beads, shells, lace, ribbon, heat'n' bond, you name it, I probably used it.

How much did all the supplies cost you?
Next to nothing. Most of the things were on hand. Faith's was completely on hand and James's I had to buy the felt for, but was on sale so I got it for $10 and still had enough for another present with lots left over.

What's your favorite page? Why?
That's a hard question. For James's it would probably be the jungle page. I love the puzzles, on one side is a parrot and if you flip them over, it's an owl puzzle. For Faith's, it would be the dress up and cat page. That's her favorite too. She once took one of the dresses and put it up to herself and said "It fits!"

If you'd like to see Emma's quiet books on her own blog check out this post: James Quiet Book and this one: Faith's Quiet Book. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome quiet books with us, Emma!

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