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!

My Inspiration

Before I even begin posting some of the pages that I plan to create, I thought it only proper to give credit to the blogs that inspired me to make my quiet book:

How To Make A  QuietBook
This blog is where I originally got the idea to even start this endeavor.  Anna, the creator, included step-by-step instructions for many of her pages.  I specifically utilized her "Gathering the Supplies" and "Before You Sew" posts to get an idea of the fabric and other materials to use; also how to put the book together.

Imagine Our Life: Creative Living with a Toddler
I got many of my ideas for the activities on each page from this blog.  I loved the detail and bright colors used!

Of course, I found both of these blogs via Pinterest (which is where I find most ideas these days).

My original inspiration, though came on October 4th, 2012 when my little E entered the world.  We plan to have her baptized in the Adirondack mountains in New York this summer since it's such a special place for my husband and me.  Therefore, I will be creating The Adirondack ABC Book.  I realize that not many people share the same interest in the Adirondack mountains, but I hope you find my pages helpful and inspiring for your own unique creations!