Genesis 27 - Jacob Steals the Blessing Quiet Book Page

   In Genesis 27, Jacob deceives his father and steals Esau's blessing.

Memory Verse: "And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him." Genesis 27:23 (NKJV).

 

Materials needed to create the Jacob Steals the Blessing quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet - I used pale peach
• my Jacob Steals the Blessing Bible quiet book free template pattern
• fake/leather scrap
• fake fur fabric scrap
• decorative trim scrap
• felt scrap
• sewing thread to best match the page

Cut out the hand shape from the fake leather piece and sew it down in position. Cut out the fake fur piece and zig zag around all edges to prevent it from fraying, folding back the fur as you go. Sew it down along the sides of the hands and between the thumb and fingers, leaving the top edges along the fingers open so you can feel the smooth leather underneath. 

Sew the decorative trim scrap to the edge of the arm end of the fur as the edge of Esau's good set of clothes that Jacob is wearing using zig zag stitch. Sew a section of felt to the edge of the page to finish the arm.

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 (except on the edges of the fur - you will just have to hope it doesn't fray too badly, which it probably won't, but I like to be extra careful). Or you could fold and glue the edges of the fur, but will have to include seam allowance for that.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Genesis 27 - Jacob, the deceiver, deceives his father and steals Esau's blessing
• Touch and Feel - Jacob's hands were smooth, but Esau's hands were hairy - touch the tactile elements of the page (leather, fur, and decorative trim)
• 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

Genesis 27

Devotional

I think this is the first tactile quiet book page I have made, and I think it is quite fitting for this story. I was having trouble trying to think how to illustrate this story and thinking about a dress-up Jacob page with Issac in bed or something. But it was seeming too complicated, and as they say, simple is best. So when I thought about how I could simplify this page, this idea came to mind. I really love how something so simple can demonstrate the whole story so well.

This is another instalment to the Jacob the deceiver story-line. Originally Rebecca is surprised to find out she is pregnant with twins, and when they are born Jacob is a bit of a deceiver in that his fist came out first and a scarlet thread was tied to his wrist to mark him as the first born, but then he withdrew his fist and Esau was actually gets born first. That's how he got his name. Then he convinces Esau to sell him his birthright for a bowl of red lentil stew. A dumb thing to fall for, but I guess Esau feels gypped by Jacob, and now when he actually lives up to his name and deceives his Dad and steals the blessing, which Esau still has to look forward to, Esau gets mad. In a few chapters time, Jacob ends up getting deceived into marrying what may have been the wife intended for Esau. 

I read in the Mishna that since Issac and Rebecca had two sons, and Rebecca's brother Laban had two daughters, that there had been some kind of agreement or arrangement made that the older son would marry the older daughter, and the younger son, would marry the younger daughter. But to Rebecca's dismay, Esau never went to claim his bride, and married locally instead. Rebecca at least wants Jacob to marry right, and uses Esau's anger as motivation to finally convince Jacob to go and claim his bride. By this stage, Esau had two wives already. Apparently Jacob was already about 77 years of age when he went to Haran (you can work it out from his age when Joseph was born and how long he stayed in Haran).

There is a big Mamma's boy theme going on here too. Issac says to his son, and Rebecca says to her son... Esau seems to be Issac's favourite, and Jacob, Rebecca's. Esau is a hunter, a real man. Jacob is a dweller in tents, a home body who does domestic things like cooking lentil stew.

So Jacob buys, steals and is tricked into getting everything due Esau. He wants the birthright, he wants the blessing, but not so much the wife. But it seems that they come as a package. And that God had plans for Leah too. 

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Have you made a tactile page? What unusual materials have you found to include?

Easy Peasy Jellyfish Counting Quiet Book Page

It's been a while since I did an Easy Peasy page - but who doesn't like it when a quiet book page comes together quickly?

Don't get confused with an octopus quiet book page where there should only be eight tentacles - jellyfish can have lots! I must have a little obsessive compulsive disorder because it really grates on me when a counting page only goes up to eight. Admittedly I did make one that only goes up to eight, but in my defense that wasn't the primary purpose of the page - see Genesis 28 - Jacob's Ladder Quiet Book Page.

My jellyfish is a simple semi-circle. I used one of the rows from my Malachi 4 - Sun of Righteousness Quiet Book Page template and lined it up along a straight edge of felt and only cut around the outside edge.

Then I cut lengths from a 3mm white ribbon and threaded beads on (1-10). I made a card to stick the lengths of ribbon to so they would be evenly spaced when I went to sew them.

Then I pinned and sewed down the ends of the ribbons using zig zag stitch and angling in the two at either end so they would fit under the head of the jellyfish.

Finally, I sewed down the head of the jellyfish covering the ribbon ends and trimmed it with double gathered lace. This adds a touch and feel element to the page.

I am not sure I am a fan of the look with the looped tentacles... what do you all think? Although I don't think the ribbon would be thick enough when knotted to keep the beads on if they weren't.

Some variation ideas include:

• Touch and feel tentacles made from various ribbons and trims - these can be curled using a hair iron or wet and let to dry around a pencil etc
• Beads inside mesh tubing - If you look closely at this pinterest pin, Elena Rihsi has threaded the beads onto a thin cord before inserting them through the mesh cord. That way if the mesh breaks, the beads don't go anywhere! Genius.
• Inserting a squeaker under the jellyfish head
• Making a button/bead maze in the jellyfish head
• Jellyfish swimming in reversible sequin fabric - comes with a beautiful free template from teenytinymom

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Have you made a jellyfish quiet book page? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

The Evolution of Quiet Books

While it may at first appear that there is not a lot of readily available information about the history and development of quiet books, I have been able to find some quite interesting details regarding their evolution.

Firstly I would like to draw your attention to a very informative article The History of the Bendable, Durable, Chewable Board Book by Olivia Campbell on the LIT HUB website. She talks about the results of technology development and the financial access it brought to books and toys as well as a dramatic paradigm shift that occurred in relation to children and books in general. It is an interesting read.

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In 1902, Dean's Rag Books Company was formed, publishing the first printed cloth books. They had pinking sheared edges and were advertised as being indestructible. Unlike paper books, the pages could not be torn and/or eaten by children and they could be washed, sterilized, and slept with comfortably. The company went on to produce printed panels which could be sewn into a book by the purchaser. They extended this idea to their traditional book range and made cut out model books out of card which buyers could put together themselves. See The Brighton Toy and Model Index for more details on Dean's Rag Books Company or the book on it's history pictured above.

Dean's Rag Book Company was an offshoot of the Dean & Son book publishing company founded not long before 1800. The University Libraries website credits them with publishing the first movable books, including pop-up books, pull-tab books, and pantomime toy books. Dean's Rag Books Company does not seem to have incorporated these ideas into their cloth books.

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One of the earliest tactile books published may have been "Cottontails - A Tactile Book" dated to 1938, a copy of which is preserved in the Bennington Museum. As you can see, it features tied binding, beads, pom-poms, buttons, fabric, ribbon, a bell, and what appears to be felt.

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The earliest dated quiet book pattern I am aware of is by Ann F Pritt, copyrighted in 1967 to Deseret Book Company. She made a Mormon version because she noticed a lot of mothers bringing quiet books to church and wanted to promote a focus on scripture. You can download her pattern for free from The Idea Door website: How to Make an LDS Quiet Book by Ann F. Pritt

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Thanks to a lovely friend, I own a copy of  How to Sew A Quiet Book from Craft Course Publishers, copyright 1977. It is Craft Course SP-11 and says it was adapted from a book submission by Annelle Simmons. Many of the classic quiet book pages are included in her patterns and it is my guess that they were already established as classics before this publishing.

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In addition to the try my mitten and football lacing pages featured on the front cover, pages include pockets for a pad and pencil/crayons, flower buttoning, hair braiding, clothes on a washing line, a clock, a train, balloon colour matching, shape matching, 1-10 bead counting, bow tying on a kitten, a clown face to rearrange, and a zippered ladybug with babies.

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If you know of any earlier patterns or other information, I'd love to hear from you!

Isaiah 25 - God Will Wipe Away Our Tears Quiet Book Page

Isaiah 25 looks forward to the time when the troubles of this world are over and God will take the time to comfort us and wipe away all our tears.

Memory Verse: “He will swallow up death forever,

And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;

The rebuke of His people

He will take away from all the earth;

For the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 25:8.

Materials needed to create the God Will Wipe Away Our Tears quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet. I used maroon.
• white handkerchief
• patterned felt and plain felt in a similar colour
• wide translucent ribbon
• matching thread colours
• God Will Wipe Away Our Tears template

Start by using your template to cut out a piece of the patterned felt including the hole at the top. Pin this to the similar coloured felt and stitch it down around the outside and the hole. Cut it out including the hole.

Cut two lengeths of ribbon to reach across and past both edges the longest section of the tissue box. Melt the ends of the ribbon with a match to prevent fraying.

Pin the ribbon in position on top of the tissue box and sew them down. Fold the longer ends of the ribbon underneath the tissue box before pinning it to the background page and sewing it down around the outside edge only. Leave the hole open to allow you to fold and place the handkerchief inside.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy.

This is a very basic page.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Isaiah 25 - God cares about the tears we cry
• Imaginative Play - pulling tissues out of a box is a pretty exciting thing to do for a toddler -then you can wipe everyone's tears with it too
• Pulling - pull the tissue out of the box
• Folding - older children can learn to fold the handkerchief so it fits nicely back into the tissue box
• Tucking - tuck the folded handkerchief back into the tissue box
• Touch and Feel - if you use a handkerchief edged with lace, it will provide sensory stimulation through varied textures
• 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 25

Devotional

Wiping someone else's tears is rather personal. Our God loves to have a personal relationship with each of us. He often makes me laugh. He gets my sense of humour and He knows which verse to show me when I am feeling down in the dumps.

Sometimes you can't tell a soul in the world what you are going through or what is gnawing away at your peace of mind. But you can trust these secrets to the One who gave you life. 

There is a saying "If you love something, set it free; if it comes back to you it is yours". He cared enough to create you, He cared enough to give you freedom, He cared enough to come rescue you. It's up to you if you want to return to Him and allow Him to wipe your tears and restore your status.

God Shall Wipe All Tears Away

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Is there anyone who wipes your tears? Let them know they are appreciated.

Psalm 127 - Unless the LORD Builds the House Quiet Book Page

In Psalm 127, Solomon notes that a lot of effort is wasted when we try to do things without God's help.

Memory Verse: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain." Psalm 127:1

Materials needed to create Unless the LORD Builds the House quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet. I used bright green.
• Wonderwall in a slightly smaller size than the background
• sewing thread to best match the wonderwall
• stiffened felt in various colours
• Velcro dots - hook side only
• hot glue gun and glue - optional
• the free template
• pen and scissors!

Cut out the blocks from the template and draw around each the correct number of times on the colour of stiffened felt chosen. Cut out the blocks from the stiffened felt. Cut your Velcro dots in half and attach the Velcro dot to the side of the stiffened felt block which has the pen mark on it. You may need to use a little hot glue to hold them in place, especially if your Velcro dots are a little old like some of mine were, and the sticky is not so sticky anymore.

It is difficult to see in the photos, but the white circle is actually attached with a Velcro dot to a dark blue square block. It is meant to be a clock.

Sew your Wonderwall to the background page, leaving enough room for a colourful border and to allow you to sew your pages back to back once you are ready to sew the book together.

Stick your building blocks onto the Wonderwall with the Velcro and re-arrange to make all sorts of buildings.  They should all fit on the page for storage purposes.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

One of the easiest quiet book pages ever!
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Genesis 6 - This page tells about how much God works behind the scenes - we often forget that it is actually Him keeping our cities and country safe, and helping us to build our lives
• Shapes - Learn the shapes square, circle, semi-circle, arch, rectangle, pillar, and triangle
• Touch and Feel - The Wonderwall adds a rough texture to the page
• Imaginative Play - Build endless combinations of houses, city gates, and walls, etc
• 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

Psalm 127

Devotional

Solomon wrote this Psalm. I'm not sure that this is what he was talking about, but I found it a little fitting because he was the one God selected to build His house - the Temple. David had been busy making plans to build a temple, but God told him "No". I guess David knew better than to argue with God, because it seems he accepted that without complaint. He did all he could so it was ready for Solomon though, gathering supplies and drawing up plans.

Like I mentioned in my last devotional for Luke 12 - Where is Your Treasure Quiet Book Page, no-one can be an expert on everything, and if you want your plans to succeed, it is best to ask for help. God's help is the greatest help, and He can find you the right people to provide you with help too. If God has decreed something is not going to succeed, it ain't gonna, so don't waste your efforts.

Once again, we can't rely on own own efforts to build a good life and to keep ourselves safe. That's God's job, and that's great for us, because otherwise how could we go to sleep at night? But He is always there keeping watch and helping if we ask Him to.

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Are you letting the LORD build your house?

Deuteronomy 4 - Seek Me Find Me Quiet Book Page

In Deuteronomy chapter 4, God tells the Israelite's His laws and asks them not to let the memory of all the good things he has done for them fade from their hearts.

Memory Verse: "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

Materials needed to create the Seek Me Find Me quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet. I used black
• flat silver cross (I found one at a bead shop) - see the photo at the end of the post to gauge the size - the Australian 10 cent coin pictured is roughly the size of a US quarter.
• embroidered heart from an embroidered geometric tulle panel
• ribbon to trim the heart with
• sewing thread to best match the page
• scissors!

Cut out the heart from the tulle panel. Pin it to the background felt sheet and slip the cross underneath. Sew it down with zig zag stitch. Measure the length of ribbon needed and melt the ends to prevent fraying. I turned the ribbon under at each end for a nice finish. Sew your ribbon down on top of your stitching to hide the edge of the heart, beginning and ending at the junction at the top. I sewed mine down with a slight zig zag stitch as well because of the type of ribbon I used. It made the ribbon sit better. 

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

One of the easiest quiet book pages ever!
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Deuteronomy 4 - This page tells about how God is wanting us to seek Him and is ready to forgive if we do
• Seek and Find - Find the location of the silver cross underneath the embroidered heart
• Touch and Feel - The embroidery ribbon and sequins on the heart provides a textural quality to the page, and the cross underneath feels hard to the touch, but is hard to find
• Shapes - learn the shape of a heart and cross
• 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

Deuteronomy 4

Devotional

What a beautiful promise God makes with this verse. He has just warned the Israelite not to follow Idols and what the consequences of doing that would be, but then takes the time to reassure everyone that He is very willing to forgive and will not snub them if they do but then repent. He is always there ready to be found if we choose to, in fact He is longing for us to. No sin is too great for God to forgive, for the price Jesus paid with His life is great enough to save us all.

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Are you seeking the LORD with all your heart?

Psalm 4 - Peaceful Sleep Quiet Book Page

In Psalms chapter 4, David acknowledges that it is God who keeps us safe.

Memory Verse: "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 NIV

Materials needed to create the Peaceful Sleep quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet; I used mauve
• felt/material scraps, velour is good for the blanket
• embroidery floss (optional)
• small rope dolls (I bought mine from a dollar shop)
• sewing thread to best match the page
• a bed template - I used the Five Little Monkeys pattern by Stephanie of Imagine Our life

Sew a large scrap of felt to fill the bottom third of your felt background sheet.  I cut off the excess mauve so I could use it for something else. You could simply sew a strip over the bottom third of your sheet.

Cut out the bedhead and sew it down, followed by the pillows. Be sure to line it up properly so that the bed base does not allow wall coloured felt to show through, and that the pillows are visible above the blanket.

I used velour material for the blanket. It was from a baby suit given to Tahlia. The velour makes a lovely soft blanket for the dollies and adds a touch and feel aspect to the page.  Cut out two blanket sections so they can be sewn right sides facing out. Use the embroidery floss to add an authentic touch to the top edge of the blanket. Sew the blanket in place to the bed base.

Sew the bed base down to the floor/wall on the bottom and sides.

Put the dollies into bed.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy.

Blanket stitch is easy, don't be off-put. If in doubt, You Tube it!

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Psalm 4 - This page tells that God keeps us safe, and we can sleep in peace
• Imaginative Play - The dollies can play at all sorts of things. These three dollies are meant to be Tahlia and her cousin, and her friend enjoying a sleepover.
• Touch and Feel - The velour blanket is lovely soft texture, and it runs in a grain - you can rub it with and against the grain and feel a big difference in texture
• 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

Psalm 4

Devotional

Financial stresses seem to be the focus of this Psalm. They can certainly keep you awake at night. The basic message is that if you resolve to do the right thing, and you decide to put your trust in God, His listening ear and attentiveness is worth more than financial security.

The Easy-to-Read Version is more of a paraphrase, but it puts this Psalm so beautifully, and brings out such meaning that it is WELL worth the read.

Despite my worried nights, He has always seen us through. I pray you have a peaceful sleep tonight.

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Does this quiet book make you feel safe enough to sleep resting in the arms of the Almighty?