D is for Dock

Materials:

• Royal blue background (duck canvas 10.5"x12")
• Gray or brown felt - for dock
• Felt scraps of various colors
• Various colors of embroidery thread
• Velcro
• Iron-on letter "D"
• Black embroidery thread

The original design

 This page will be focusing on matching shapes.  The child will be able to move the various shapes around the page and velcro them down to the correct spot to complete the picture of the dock.  The shapes will be stored along the top of the page where the "sidewalk" is.  There will be outlines of the shapes in embroidery thread throughout the picture of the dock.  When the shapes are placed in the correct spot, they will complete the object that was missing (for example, the circle will go on the lamppost to be the light at the top).

 This time I decided to start this page by ironing on the letter "D" and stitching "ock" using black embroidery thread and the chain stitch.  I wanted to add the word first to see how much space I had left for the sidewalk and dock.

Once I had the word at the top I sized the sidewalk and dock, created patterns, cut them both out and sewed them on.

Next I created the shapes and pieces that make up the details on the dock including the boat, lamppost, bench, tube and tackle box.  (I made sure that all of the shapes fit together across the sidewalk since that's where they'll be stored.)  I sewed down the bench, boat and lamppost pieces as a part of the background.

After that, I made duplicates of all of the shapes to attach the velcro to (so the seam doesn't show on the front).  I sewed the velcro on and then sewed the matching shape pieces together. 

I also sewed the velcro pieces to the background - five across the sidewalk (one for each shape to be stored) and one in each of the places the shapes belong in the picture.

 Last I embroidered around where the shapes are supposed to go in the same color of each, and added a few details here and there.  Finished!

C is for Campfire

Materials:

• Black background (duck canvas 10.5"x12")
• Red, orange, yellow, brown, and white felt scraps
• Green felt
• 2 Popsicle sticks
• White embroidery thread
• Iron-on letter "C"

The original design

 This page is a "use your imagination" page.  The child pretends to cook his/her marshmallow over the campfire using the (popsicle) stick, and then can use the "graham crackers" and "chocolate" to create their own s'mores to "eat."  The green grass doubles as a pocket to store the pieces.

I first created a pattern for the flames of the fire.  I cut out the red felt, cut the pattern to the orange size, cut out the orange felt, cut the pattern to the yellow size, and cut out the yellow felt.

 I then created a quick pattern for a couple of logs to go under the fire and cut that out of the brown felt.

I sewed on the logs, followed by the red fire, orange fire, and last yellow fire.  **Note, I probably would have sewn on the green grass background first had it been in the original plans, but that came later since I decided to add it after seeing that the fire looked like it was floating in the night air.

The fun part was sewing the pieces for the s'mores.  I made two marshmallows.  I originally was going to make button holes in the marshmallows to fit the stick through, but decided to sew two marshmallow-shaped pieces together and leave an opening for the stick to slide into.  I think it turned out pretty well!

The crackers and chocolate were simply two squares sewn together all the way around, and then I added a seam down the middle for decoration or added authenticity.  I made 4 crackers and 2 chocolates.

I added the background grass, and then another layer of grass to be the pocket that holds all of the pieces.  I thought things would stay in better if I created a few separate pockets, so I stitched a few seams down to make three pockets.

 Last, as always, I added the iron-on letter "C" and hand stitched "ampfire" with white embroidery thread using the chain stitch.  To finish, I stitched around the C, just for good measure.

Here is the finished product:  C is for Campfire.  Bon Appetit!

B is for Boat

Materials:

• Royal Blue Background (duck cloth10.5"x12")
• Small sew-on snaps
• Red and white felt
• Scraps of black felt
• Scraps of clear vinyl
• Fabric for boat cover (I used cream-colored, window blackout fabric I had leftover)
• Small black button (optional)
• Iron-on letter "B"
• Black embroidery thread

The original design

 On this page the child will be able to snap the boat cover over the boat, unsnap it and roll it up to be stored at the back of the boat.  To start I made a boat-shaped pattern on regular paper and cut it out.  I used it to cut out a piece of red felt for the base of the boat.  I then used the pattern to cut out a piece of the blackout fabric, but I cut about 1/4" larger all the way around so that I could sew the edges to make a nice finished look.  I trimmed the pattern 1/4" smaller all the way around and used it to cut out the shape for the inside of the boat in white.

 After that I got a little lazy about pattern making and pretty much just cut-to-fit the boat details including the steering wheel, seats, ski platform, window (clear vinyl), and window frame.  I made the steering wheel moveable by attaching it with a button.  The middle window also lifts up on one side so you can "walk" into the front of the boat.  I used black embroidery thread to hand-stitch around the seats to help them stand out a little more.

Once the details for the boat were completed, it was time to attach it to the background.  I "stitched in the ditch" around the white part of the boat, and then switched to red thread and stitched around the red part of the boat as well to reinforce the fabric where the snaps will be pulling.

 As I stitched around the red, I pinned in the boat cover and the two "cover ties" to the back of the boat so that they were stitched in under the back of the boat.  Notice that the cover ties are actually on the inside of the cover.

The snaps came next.  I started with the two for the cover ties.  I sewed one side of the snaps to the ties, and the other sides to the edge of the ski platform in the back (so that, when the cover is rolled up, it will fit nicely in the snapped-down ties).

  Then I sewed the snaps to the boat, and finally the cover.

Last steps: iron on the letter "B" (I always sew around it too, just to reinforce it) and hand stitch "oat" using black embroidery thread and the chain stitch.  Ta-da!

A is for Animals

I finally cut out all of my pages and am ready to begin!  So where to start...thought I'd do the obvious and start with "A."  A is for Animals.

Materials:

• Sky blue background (duck canvas 10.5"x12")
• Iron-on "A"
• Iron-on dark T-shirt Transfer Sheet for Ink Jet Printers (I used June Tailor)
• Green and brown felt
• Black embroidery thread

The original design

For this page I wanted to make a lift-the-flap page.  I decided it'd be too difficult to draw each of the animals I have decided to use (moose, bear, deer, rabbit and squirrel), so instead I found pictures of the animals on the Internet using Google Images and am putting them onto the page using Iron-On Dark T-shirt Transfer.

To do this, I used Microsoft Word to resize and adjust the pictures so that they all fit on one page and they were the size that I wanted them to be for the book.  I then added text boxes with the names of each animal.  I printed them out on the transfer sheet and followed the directions to adhere them to the background page, making sure I put them where I wanted them to go (leaving space for the seam allowance).  I also ironed the "A" on while I was at it.

My next step was to cut out the shapes that would hide the animals.  To do this I took notebook paper and covered the page.  I pressed down so that I could see the animals through it and lightly drew the basic shapes of the trees and bushes to hide the animals.  Warning: I'm a perfectionist, so I traced exact holes for the squirrel, bear feet, and moose to fit into the trunk. 

I then retraced the green pieces and the brown pieces on to separate pages so that I could cut them out to use as patterns.  **After doing this I decided to extend the squirrel's tree trunks so it didn't look like it was sprouting out of thin air!  Also note that I completed the pine tree limbs that are cut off as well as continuing the other tree's "leaves" past where the page ended.

Next I cut out the material (green and brown felt), pinned, and sewed the brown trunks in place.  I made sure that the brown flap covering the squirrel was sewn into the outer trunk seam.

Then, before I sewed the green pieces on, I stitched around each to help the felt keep it's shape and because I think it gives it a more finished look.

I sewed the tree foliage on first, making sure that the animals were covered completely, but could be seen when the flaps were lifted.  Then I sewed the bottom of the grass in place before adding the bushes.

I made sure that the bottoms of the bushes were sewn in completely with the top seam for the grass so that they'd flip down to reveal the rabbit and deer.  The finishing touch was a quick stitch around the "A" to make sure it stays down, and hand-stitching "nimals" using black embroidery thread and the chain stitch. (I used a pencil to lightly trace out the letters before stitching.  Sewing chalk would be better, but I didn't have any on hand!)

The finished product!  Now, being a perfectionist, I DID notice that the moose appears to be standing on thin air.  I think I'm just going to have to live with it this time.  Not sure it's worth adding a hill or mountain...

**Okay, so I couldn't sleep last night...which means, yes, a hill was created for the moose.  HERE is the final "A" page:

Specifics For My Pages

I thought it might be helpful to also compile a list of all of the extra materials I'm planning to use throughout the book that are specific to the pages I am creating.  I will also list the materials for each page as I post them, but here is the complete list:

• Iron-on transfer sheets - for Animal page and Zzzz page
• Belt buckle - for Vacation page
• Zipper - for Mountain page
• Sky blue ribbon (3/8 inch wide) - for Enchanted Forest Page
• Water blue ribbon (3/8 inch wide) - for Kayak, Swimming, and Waterskiing pages
• Snaps - for LOTS of the pages
• 3 popsicle sticks - for Campfire and Going fishing pages
• Velcro - for LOTS of the pages
• Clear vinyl - for Boat, Ice cream, and Lake pages
• Magnets - for Going fishing page
• Netting - for Going fishing, Picnic, and Vacation pages
• Round, Thin Elastic - for the top of the netting on the Going fishing, Picnic and Vacation pages
• Parachute buckle - for Hiking page
• Compass - for Hiking page
• Shoelace - for Hiking page
• Small Clear Beads - for Night sky page
• Buttons - for LOTS of pages (I bought a pack that had buttons that were shades of blue and brown)
• Trinket buttons - for Lake page
• Star buttons - for Night sky page
• Toggle - for Picnic page
• Checkered fabric - for Picnic page
• Small Ric-rac - for Rocky Point page
• Thin ribbon - for Fireworks, Lake, and eXtra Fun pages
• Lots of different colors of embroidery thread - for details on all of the pages

The Basic Materials

I've been taking the past week to try to wrap my head around all of the materials I'm going to need for this book.  I was told by a fabric store owner that my endeavor is too detailed and that I need to simplify it.  Well, that may be true, but I'm going to at least attempt it before I give up!

After reviewing a number of other blogs, and visiting a few craft stores, here are the basics that I plan to use:

• Vinyl (or similar fabric) for cover - most people agree that this does a nice job protecting the pages and lasts.  26"x13" should be enough for the front and back cover.
• Canvas for background of pages - a number of people talked about using muslin.  I'd like to have a more colorful, sturdy background, so I plan to use different colors of duck cloth canvas.  They had a wide selection at JoAnn's.  Most people suggested 10.5"x12" for each page before sewing.  The Duck cloth is 58 inches wide, so here are the colors and sizes that I plan to buy:
• Blue (water) - 1/3 yard
• Blue (sky) - 5/8 yard
• Green (grass) - 3/8 yard
• Black (night) - 1/4 yard
• Tan (sand) - 3/8 yard
• Eyelet plier kit with eyelets - I will create 3 holes in each page, similar to notebook paper, in order to put the book together.
• Binder book rings - 1 book ring will go through each of the holes, so I will need three.
• Iron-on letters - I bought the iron-on letters that look like white embroidered letters on a white felt background so that I can iron them on and still stitch them on through the felt edges as well, to make sure they stay on.
• Black embroidery thread - for stitching the words on the top of each page.
• Felt - a variety of colors will be needed for each page.  I bought mine from Oriental Trading.

I obviously have a number of other materials that I'm going to need, but I will include the materials for each individual page as I post them.

A Through Z

When making an alphabet book, the first step is to come up with words for each of the letters of the alphabet.  With the help of my husband and brother-in-law, here is the list we came up with for the Adirondacks:

A - Animals
B - Boat
C - Campfire
D - Dock
E - Enchanted Forest (a water park in Old Forge, NY)
F - Fireworks
G - Going Fishing
H - Hiking
I - Ice Cream
J - Jet Ski
K - Kayak
L -Lake
M - Mountains
N - Night Sky
O - Old Forge, NY (The main town on the Fulton Chain Lakes)
P - Picnic
Q - Quilt
R - Rocky Point (The mountaintop where my husband proposed to me)
S - Swimming
T - Trees
U - Underwater
V - Vacation
W - Waterskiing
X - eXtra Fun (It doesn't start with X...but xylophone doesn't go with the theme!)
Y - Yellow Sun
Z - Zzzzz (I know it's not a word, but my husband vetoed "Zany Family")

I'll be sharing one page design at a time...and hopefully the finished page to go along with each.  The designing and planning of the book was a blast.  I hope the creating is just as fun!