Here are some tips and links which I found helpful in making my quiet books:
STAYING MOTIVATED
STAYING MOTIVATED
TEMPLATES
SEWING TIPS
- When sewing small fiddly pieces back to back, only cut out the top piece, then sew it onto a sheet of felt for the bottom. Cut it out after sewing it together using the top piece as a guide. It is much easier to sew and keep from moving around that way. See a tutorial on Laura Thoughts here.
- Unless you want a stand out effect, match your thread colour to your felt, or use a clear fishing twine type of thread available from sewing supply stores. Be careful though as it can be difficult to use this kind of thread.
- When sewing small fiddly item, use the hand wheel on the side of your machine instead of the foot pedal so you can go slowly as you need.
- How to Safely Dispose of Sewing Pins and Needles
- How to join a Sew Along
- 5 Ways to Measure and Cut Quiet Book Pages
BINDING THE BOOK
- I bind my pages back to back and insert ribbon tabs along one side to put album rings through. It is easy and I am able to undo the pages if anything needs fixing.
- Here is a simple way to put the pages together by Vanessa Goertzen from Lella Boutique.
- Novel idea on how to sew thick cloth books together by Deborah from Cloth Books for Baby.
- And Deborah's skinny version here.
- Hand Stitched Quiet Book Cover
- How To Ring Bind Felt Quiet Books - Free A4 Buttonhole Guide
- Button hole binding by The Hawkins Family requires few extra supplies.
- Cluck Cluck Sew has a great tutorial on how to sew binding on to a quilt. Use the same method to finish page edges back to back when making a fabric quiet book. Here is a good YouTube clip by HeirloomCreations.
- Watch a video of how to put the pages together once they have been finished with binding by Sorokina Irina here. Sorry its not in English.
IRON ON TRANSFERS
- An easy way to make quiet book pages, but there are some drawbacks.
- Always remember to reverse the image, particularly if you are using words or want things to face a particular direction. It will be reversed back again once you iron it onto your felt.
- The felt will not stick to the background if you use a transfer for the background. So it is best to use this method for pages where you intend to have movable parts or hidden things behind flaps, or on pages where you have sewn the background with felt so it will still stick.
- Use an appropriate transfer paper. They come in transparent or opaque. Transparent is best for use on white felt, whereas opaque can be used on any colour felt and the image can still appear white where needed e.g. on a face etc.
- Here is a good tutorial by Pam from Keeping Life Creative.
- An example of using it to include writing in a quiet book An Interview With Brenda Dent - Devotions Through Play Quiet Book.
PRINTING ON FABRIC
- Printing on burlap red neck style by Amber Mae from Amber May Be.
- 6 easy ways to print on fabric by Karen from The Graphics Fairy.
- Inkjet printing on fabric by fungus amungus from Instructables.
- You can have felt custom printed by the Bags of Love store in the UK.
- Sublimation printing on felt
DIFFERENT TYPES OF FELT
- What's the difference between wool, acrylic, wool blend, and eco felt? Part 1 Wool. by American Felt and Craft.
- Acrylic felt & eco- felt (I.E eco spun) same damn thing! Part 2 of whats the difference between wool, acrylic, wool blend, and eco felt? by American Felt and Craft.
- Wool Felt Blends- part 3 of Whats the difference between wool, acrylic, wool blend, and eco felt? by American Felt and Craft.
- For my opinion on the ethical differences Vegan Vs Wool Felt - My Perspective
- What have we got here or bonfire of the antiquities – How to tell what kind of felt you have. by American Felt and Craft.
- Felt Smackdown, 4 felts will go in only one can emerge victorious! by American Felt and Craft.
- All your felt questions answered* Part 2: What is bamboo felt? by American Felt and Craft.
- All your wool felt questions answered* Part 1 by American Felt and Craft.
- How thick is Wool Blend Felt? by American Felt and Craft.
- Wool felt questions Part 3: The difference between wool felt and felted wool. by American Felt and Craft.
RANDOM LINKS
- How to Stop Ribbons Fraying
- How to Stiffen Felt by Jessica at Cutesy Crafts
- Letter Cutting Hacks
- Cutting detailed shapes out of felt using freezer paper by American Felt and Craft Felt Lab- 5 methods for cutting felt tested. by American Felt and Craft
- Painting felt by American Felt and Craft
- How to make a zip pocket video by Lella Boutique and Fat Quarter Shop.
- Tip for sewing with vinyl by Make It & Love It.
- How to store felt crafts by American Felt and Craft.
- How to wash felt, wool felt foods, soft sculpture & toys. by American Felt and Craft.
- Cutting and using foam in felt pieces. by American Felt and Craft.
LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!
WHERE TO BUY FELT
- Aside from the usual Spotlight, Lincraft, and Hobby Sew, here are a few more links below...
- JJ Davies & Sons Pty Ltd in Melbourne, and Felt Fabricating Pty Ltd in Adelaide, sell a range of wool designer felt, viscose decorative felt, synthetic craft felt, and self adhesive felt. They sell it as rolls, squares and scrap bags, which are ideal for arts and crafts and very affordable. See their website here.
- Theo's Discount Crafts, also in Melbourne, sell quite cheap felt squares and a bunch of crafting supplies. They also publish their sale dates for the year ahead of time, which is awesome!
WHERE TO GET BUTTONS
- My local dump has a recycle center where they give away free clothes! You can find some very interesting buttons on clothes at the rubbish tip.
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