Thursday 27 July 2023

Mini Sealed Scroll craft for Bible Class

These are a great craft to do with your Bible class if you want to encourage them to learn memory verses in a fun way. The wax seals really give a certain charm about them.





A page I recently wrote about, Letters to Early Christians quiet book page - Interview with Jessica, has inspired a whole lot of scroll creations. This was not the first, but it seems to be the first I am going to post.




I kinda really like these Mini Sealed Scrolls and I kinda don't. 

They are really cute and fun, but they don't demonstrate that a seal can't be re-sealed after it has been opened...

(Have I mentioned before that I like toys that "work")?

Oh well, they are helping us learn more memory verses.




We used a Posca fabric marker to write the Bible verse. You need to iron it to set it so it doesn't wash out if you need to clean the scroll. But I have used regular pen before and it seems to work fine as well (not sure about the wash-ability though).







For the first version I tried making I sewed press studs down on a single sheet of felt, but then I realised that the cotton showed through to the other side - right in the middle of where I wanted to write the Bible verse.




I tried hot gluing the press studs onto felt instead. That seems to have worked, but I am not confident it would last, and this is of course dangerous for small children, so I didn't proceed with that idea.





I tried using Velcro dots instead. Just make sure you set the pen with an iron before adding the Velcro dots or the iron will melt the hot glue and it may come through onto the side with the Bible verse written on it (as you can see below).





I had hoped that using a Velcro dot would make the seal sit flush with the rest of the felt underneath so it looked like it was doing more of the job a seal should be doing, but it is rather thick and the press stud actually looks better.





My stick of seal wax ran low pretty quickly, so I looked up if you can use candle wax instead. You can't - it's not flexible enough. So now I am hankering to try using cheese wax... wish me well!




Now we can't wait to make a bunch of these with everyone in Bible Class!




Follow Faith and Felt Obsession on FacebookPinterest and You Tube

Which Bible verse would you choose to write on one of these?

Thursday 13 July 2023

Isaiah 54 - A Promise of Peace Quiet Book Page

God promises a covenant of peace in Isaiah 54. 




Memory Verse: “The Lord says, “This day is like the time of Noah to me. I promised then that I would never flood the world again. In the same way, I promise I will not be angry with you or punish you again. The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the Lord who shows mercy to you.” Isaiah:54-9-10 (NCV).

Materials needed to create A Promise of Peace quiet book page:

  • A4 felt background sheet - I used green
  • Betty Lukens Felt book 00001 Bible Stories Felt Activity Kit (not an affiliate link)
  • sewing thread to best match the page
  • scissors!
  • pony beads in rainbow colours
  • 1.5mm black elastic
  • alphabet beads
  • small button tie tie off elastic at the back
  • two 3mm grommets (and grommet tool set)
Cut out all the pieces for this page and the page itself from the Betty Lukens set. The Betty Lukens FAQ section has posted a cutting tips PDF.

Sew the Betty Lukens page onto the background felt along three sides, leaving the top edge open to form a pocket. 

Add two grommets to the top right and top left of the Betty Lukens page. I went through both the pocket and background page together (you will still be able to open the pocket. You can google how to do this - it is not as scary as it looks!

Thread the elastic through the grommet from the back of the page and thread on some pony beads in rainbow order (I used two beads per colour), followed by the word 'promise' using your alphabet beads, and then more rainbow beads in reverse order. Thread the elastic back through the other grommet and tie it off through a button at the back (like I did on the Leviticus 25 - Jubilee Calendar Quiet Book Page). This is to prevent the knot coming through the grommets to the front of your page.




Pop the animal pieces inside the pocket (or better yet - play with them)!

Finished!


Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

A very easy quiet book page! Grommets are not as intimidating as they appear.
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.


Key Learning Areas and Skills

  • Isaiah 54 - Learn about the Covenant of Peace promised by God
  • Imaginative Play - position the animals around Noah's ark and remember God keeps His promises - just like He kept His promise to never again flood the entire Earth like He did in the days of Noah
  • Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
  • Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination




Read the Chapter

Isaiah 54

Devotional

Whilst Isaiah was speaking to the Israelites about the captivity and those that God would bring back afterwards, they prefigure the goodness God will bring upon all believers in the covenant of peace made with blood in the previous chapter (prophesying Jesus' death). This covenant is certain because it is not built on our merit, which is a changeable thing, but on God's mercy, which is from everlasting to everlasting.




Follow Faith and Felt Obsession on FacebookPinterest and You Tube

Has this page inspired you?

Thursday 29 December 2022

Faith and Felt Obsession's most popular posts and pages in 2022

Following on from my report at the end of last year, The Quiet Book Bible Project Progress Chart, I thought it might be nice to show you my most popular posts from 2022 versus my most popular posts of all time (so far).


Faith and Felt Obsession - Top 10 blog posts of 2022


Faith and Felt Obsession - Top 10 blog posts of all time (so far)


Faith and Felt Obsession - Top 10 web pages of 2022


Faith and Felt Obsession - Top 10 web pages of all time (so far)


I find myself looking at the stats as a way to encourage myself. Even though my numbers are not great in the grand scheme of the blogging world, it is still way more that I could share without such modern technologies as the internet.




Follow Faith and Felt Obsession on FacebookPinterest and You Tube

Are these your Top 10?


Thursday 24 November 2022

Alpha (Old Testament) Quiet Book - by Steph

This is the first in a series of two quiet book made by my friend Steph. 




I really loved her idea of using an Alpha symbol over the cross for the Old Testament and an Omega over a cross for the New Testament covers.




Although the books are not quite finished (and I think a lot of quiet books fall into this category), I am going to share the pages that are already done for now. Steph knew she would never get around to making a sewn book, so she opted for glue. This has enabled her to use both the front and the back of a piece of felt for activities, which is not only cheaper, but means she doesn't have to sew the pages back-to-back either. The books are bound using ribbon strung through some holes made with a hole punch. So simple!




Page one is for creation. Steph really wanted to highlight to her children the creation of spaces in the first three days, and the filling of those spaces in the following three days:

Creation KingdomsCreature Kings
Day 1 - Light
(Day/Night)
Day 4 - Luminaries
(Greater light to rule the day and
the lesser light to rule the night)
Day 2 - Sky/WaterDay 5 - Birds/Fish
Day 3 - Land/VegetationDay 6 - Land animals/Man
The Creator King
Day 7 - Sabbath




This view of Genesis 1 is called the Framework Interpretation, and although many of it's proponents hold to a symbolic meaning to the days of creation, there is no reason that it cannot and does not apply to a literal view just as readily (as Steph and I do).




Page two is one of the creatures God created - a crab. It was bought from AliExpress, so was a very easy make.




Page three is an apple tree (also bought from AliExpress) for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil story in the Garden of Eden.




Page four is a Noah's ark matching game inspired by the Betty Lukens kit I used in my Genesis 8 - In The Ark Quiet Book Page.




Page five is some corn weaving for the story of Joseph (bought from AliExpress). (Sorry Steph but I think the corn is referring to kernels of wheat rather than corn as we call it today)!




Page six is for the 10 Commandments - you can list a Commandment as the frog jumps on each lily pad. Sorry again Steph, but this is my least favourite page in this book because frogs are actually associated with unclean/evil things (think Revelation) so I'm not a fan of using them to illustrate God's Holy Law, despite how cute they might be!




Page seven is a sandal to tie and untie (bought from AliExpress) for the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, and we can remember how God made their sandals last the journey (Deuteronomy 29:5).




Page eight represents how God can wash us so we will be whiter than snow (Psalm 51).




On page nine you can dress up Queen Esther in various outfits, with one basic dress for before she became queen, and three more decorative ones for afterwards. Esther means "hidden" and you can hide her Jewish identity (the Star of David) like her Uncle Mordechai asked her to with her dresses. I love all the little details, so well done on this one Steph!




Page ten is David's harp (drawn free-hand - great job Steph)!




Page eleven is a mini felt Bible hidden in a heart pocket - for Psalm 119. We need to treasure God's word and learn it off by heart so we have it with us always.




This is my absolute favourite page, and it deserves it's own post, so I will be reserving photos of inside the Bible for that - sorry, not sorry hahaha.




Page twelve shows three different aspects of David's life - King, Shepheard, and how he was a man after God's own heart. You can trace the shape of the pipe cleaners from David on the left to the symbols on the right.




Page thirteen is a hand and numbers for counting. It was originally intended to be for the 10 Commandments, but two hands didn't fit on the page. Instead it could link to a few things, such as God knowing everything about us, and counting the blessings God has given us. 




A bit of trivia for you - there is no Bible verse which talks about counting your blessings. I only know because I looked when trying to match another one of my quiet book ideas to a Bible chapter... Oh well!




The hand was free cut and Steph added Velcro dots bought from office works. Most things in the book were free cut and she didn't draw at all (cause she says she is really lazy).




Page fourteen is a wooden puzzle in the shape of a precious stone. After all, wisdom is better than rubies (Proverbs 8:11). It was bought from a dollar store. Steph has written some words of wisdom on it and made a pocket out of felt in the same shape as the puzzle. 




Page fifteen is my second favourite in this book so far. Steph says the idea was "totally stolen" from an idea I had told her about for a future page. Although mine is for a different verse and will look quite different, I might just have to steal this idea right back for the verse Steph is applying it to! This page goes with Ezekiel 11:19, "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." (NIV). The heart is removable.




Page sixteen is a season tree. Whilst there is no activity, it is a rather tactile page. This page is for Ecclesiastes 3 - there is a season for everything. 




Psalms 1 also talks about a tree planted by the waters which brings forth fruit in due season.

Page seventeen is Jonah and the whale.




There are an odd number of pages because this project is still growing.




Follow Faith and Felt Obsession on FacebookPinterest and You Tube

Which page did you enjoy most in the Alpha (Old Testament) Quiet Book? That is a bit of a cheeky question, since I didn't share my favourite page here properly!

Thursday 3 November 2022

Psalm 11 - Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope Quiet Book Page

Psalm 11 asks why we should flee as birds to a mountain when we are trusting God for protection.




Memory Verse: “I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
“Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!" Psalm 11:1.

Materials needed to create the Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope quiet book page:

  • A4 felt background sheet - I used dapple grey
  • My free Psalm 11 - Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope Quiet Book Page Template Pattern
  • cotton fabric for the green mountain
  • fabric glue or double sided iron-on interfacing
  • felt scraps in green, sky blue, orange and dapple grey
  • decorative beads in orange and silver
  • short dowel rod (about 20cm in length, 7mm in diameter)
  • hot glue and glue gun
  • sewing thread to best match the page
  • scissors!
Mark and cut out the mountain shape from your mountain fabric and use fabric glue to glue it to a piece of green felt (or use thedouble-sided iron-on interfacing according to the directions). Once it is dry, cut it out and sew a fine zigzag stitch along all edges to stop it fraying and peeling. Then sew it onto your background felt to about just below half way up the sides of the mountain leaving the top open to form a pocket.




Cut out the circles from the sky blue felt and sew down your orange birds followed by their dapple grey wings, making sure to position one in the upper position and the other in the lower position. Hand sew on your decorative beads.


Testing different decorative bead positions


Position your circles back to back (ensure the birds are level with each other) and sew around the circles, leaving about a 2cm hole at the bottom. Use hot glue on about 4cm of the end of your dowel rod and insert it into the hole and press the birds together to attach it. 

Spin the thaumatrope rod between your hands to watch the bird fly away to the mountain.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

A very easy quiet book page!
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.




Key Learning Areas and Skills

  • Psalm 11 - Putting your trust in God is the best way to stay safe and remain calm when you are in danger.
  • Imaginative Play - Fly your birdie to safety in the mountains.
  • Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skills through turning pages, and on this page, through using the thaumatrope.




Read the Chapter

Psalm 11

Devotional

This Christian Hymn seems to be to be using the phrase "flee like a bird to your mountain" in the opposite way to what David's adviser was. But the point in the end is the same. God is your refuge, put your faith in Him.

I have heard stories of many people who chose to stay in dangerous places because they felt that is where God wanted them. They trusted Him and escaped all kinds of danger because He looked after them. The most dangerous place in all appearances may actually be the safest because God is with you. The safe places might actually be the most dangerous because you are no longer relying on God.




I looked up some of the birds that inhabit Israel and tried to model mine on the Oriental Turtle-dove and the Laughing Dove.


Oriental Turtle Dove : (Streptopelia orientalis) in Satara
I, Ravivaidya - CC BY 2.5


Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis cambayensis)
at Zighy Bay in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman
Charles J. Sharp - CC BY-SA 3.0




Follow Faith and Felt Obsession on FacebookPinterest and You Tube

Have you made a thaumatrope before? Comment below!