Faith and Felt Obsession

Thursday, 27 February 2025

How to make a template symmetrical - the dead easy way!

Have you ever tried to draw your own template for a quiet book?

It might sound daunting, but it is easier than you think. Here is a tip my Mum shared with me when I first started making busy books - how to draw a symmetrical template!

This pattern is a freebie from Lily at Craft Learn and Play -
Quiet Book Patterns and Ideas – Mother Hen With Chicks

As you can see, this method is a simple way to correct flaws in your template drawing. All you have to do is make a fold down the center of your drawing and cut it out by following the line on the better side. When you unfold the template, it will be the same shape on both sides. Of course, this method only works for symmetrical shapes.

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What other troubles do you have when attempting to make a quiet book template?

Thursday, 13 February 2025

Ephesians 3 - Christ May Dwell in Your Heart Through Faith Quiet Book Page

In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul explains that Gentiles can become heirs alongside Israel, and share in access to God through faith in Christ.

Memory Verse: "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV).

Materials needed to create the Christ May Dwell in Your Heart Through Faith quiet book page:

A4 felt background sheet - I used bright blue
my free template
red/pink felt for the heart
a ribbon to match the felt colour of the heart - I used an organza ribbon and did some tacking and gathering on it
felt scraps in mid brown, white, and dark brown for Jesus
awl and/or darning needle
sewing thread to best match the page
scissors!

Cut out your heart from felt and sew it onto the middle of your page. Add the ribbon to the top edge of the pocket part of your heart before sewing it down over the bottom section of the heart.

Tacking and gathering the organza ribbon.

Cut out two feet and hands from your mid brown felt (reverse the pattern to make the right and left sides), sew them down and cut them out. Cut out a tunic from white felt and sandwich the hands and feet between it and a piece of white felt on the bottom. Sew the tunic down and cut it out, making sure to bend back the hands and feet as you go.

Cut out a face from mid brown felt and a hair and beard piece from dark brown felt. Position the hair/beard over the head and sew it down around the mouth and face. Place dark brown felt behind the head/chest area of the tunic with the hair/beard/face on top and sew around the outside of the head (hair/beard), catching the tunic in between at the bottom. Cut out the head around the top and trim at the bottom on the back side at the same width from the sewing as the rest of the head.

Use the awl to make holes in the hands and ankles and use a darning needle to make the hole wider.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No-Sew Version.

A very easy and quick quiet book page.
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version, but make sure you don't put glue where you want to put the holes in the hands and feet.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

Ephesians 3 - God's love is so wide/long/high/deep - let's pray that we will be filled with the measure of all the fullness of God
Imaginative play - Jesus dwells in our hearts, His love is wide like His arms are stretched wide
Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Ephesians 3

Devotional

I have had this idea churning around for a while. I remember as a child in Bible class we used to hold hearts up similar to this on a stick with a picture of Jesus inside while we sang "Into My Heart".

As I grew up, I started thinking about whether this was a concept that came from the Bible or not. More often, it is the Holy Spirit which is said to live in our hearts. I guess Ephesians 3 is more of an abstract idea due to having faith, rather than Jesus actually living in our hearts. I think the only other place the Bible talks about Jesus (rather than the Holy Spirit) being in our hearts is 2 Corinthians 4, where Jesus' face shines in our hearts. I think this is also alluding to the idea that others ought to be able to see Jesus' love shining out from our hearts, just as we can feel the happiness and peace within.

The Love of Christ - Ephesians 3:17b-19

Truth Songs

Faith in Christ gives Gentiles access to God too, and we can share the inheritance. In this way, Christ can dwell in our hearts. And we will begin to understand the immeasurable love Jesus has for us. This love is beyond knowledge. Knowledge alone would not cause someone to die in someone else's place. It is only great love that would move someone enough to do that. I made Jesus with his arms outstretched and nail holes in his hands and feet so we can grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ in some small way.

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Does this quiet book page make you reminisce or remind you of something? Comment below!

Thursday, 30 January 2025

Vintage Felts - Creation Circles Day 2

This is Creation Day 2 of a vintage Creation Circles felt board set.

The set is intended to be used in conjunction with a felt board for lessons in a Bible class. Pieces are added to the circles as the story of creation is explained. Interactive stories are always a hit with children, and repetition is something they love.

They also love matching, and you can learn what happened on each day of creation while matching a set of numbers to each creation circle.

On Creation Day 2, God separated the waters (in the firmament above and covering the Earth below). You need to glue the clouds down on this creation circle to complete it.

A space has bean created to be filled with birds and fish on Day 5.

I believe this set is a vintage version of these Creation Circles by Betty Lukens. You can get a cartoon type version, Beginner Bible Creation from Little Folk Visuals as well.

Beginner Bible Creation from Little Folk Visuals

Once published, I will link the other Creation Circle posts below (you may find something different in each post):

Vintage Felts - Creation Day 1 - includes a photo of the information sheet
Vintage Felts - Creation Day 3
Vintage Felts - Creation Day 4
Vintage Felts - Creation Day 5
Vintage Felts - Creation Day 6
Vintage Felts - Creation Day 7

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Thursday, 16 January 2025

2 Peter 2 - Dirty Pig and Washtub Quiet Book Page

In Second Peter chapter 2, people who return to their sins are likened to dirty pigs who return to their muddy puddles after being scrubbed in a washtub.

Memory Verse: It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” 2 Peter 2:21-22.

Materials needed to create the Dirty Pig and Washtub quiet book page:

A4 felt background sheet - I used olive green
my free 2 Peter 2 - Dirty Pig and Washtub Quiet Book Page Template Pattern
sewing thread to best match the page
sequins for soap bubbles
5 black 3mm grommets and grommet tool set
Felt scraps in pink, brown, gray, white, mauve
30cm length of 2mm round elastic in a mauve colour to match the mauve felt
White rectangle button for soap
Ribbon scraps in black
pink curly shoelace to match the pink felt
2 pink two-hole buttons for a snout
Posca felt tip fabric marker (and an iron + baking paper)

Cut out a Pig from pink felt (make sure it is facing the right way for how you want to arrange your page/book). I think it is nicer if the Pig is facing in towards the page or book when placed in the puddle and washtub.

Cut out all the mud spots for the pig, and the muddy puddle piece and splashes. Arrange the mud spots on the pig, avoiding the edges of the pig so when you sew a back on him you can sew him all together using pink thread. Sew the mud spots onto the pig.

Sew the muddy puddle to another piece of brown felt and cut it out. Arrange the muddy puddles and splashes in place on the page background, making sure there is enough room for your washtub and the pig to be placed into the puddle. Sew the muddy puddle in place along the sides and bottom edges, leaving the top open to form a pocket. Sew the splashes in place around the muddy puddles.

Cut a small length off the end of the curly shoelace and insert it in place under the pig's bottom and another piece of pink felt to form a tail. Sew around the edge of the pig - go very slowly (one stitch at a time) where the tail is inserted because it is very thick and the machine can skip stitches easily. Cut out the pig, being careful not to cut the tail off as you go around.

Use the fabric marker to add eye details to both sides of the pig and set them using an iron and baking paper as per instructions.

Hand sew the two-buttonhole buttons in place to form a snout on either side of the pig.

Cut out the panels of the washtub and sew them in place onto another piece of gray felt. I numbered mine on the back so I wouldn't get confused with which order they go in. Cut out the washtub.

Sew the ribbons to the front of the washtub to look like iron rings of metal holding the panels of the washtub together. The edges of the ribbon should be longer than the washtub on both sides so they can be tucked underneath later.

Cut out the back piece of the washtub. You can use the front piece as a guide so they turn out the same size. I found that the panel pieces sewn to another felt piece turned out larger than expected and my back washtub piece was a bit smaller than I wanted.

Sew the back of the wastub onto the page background and add a grommet to each top corner of the back of the washtub, going through the background page as well.

Add two grommets to the top corners of the front of the washtub and sew it down in place over the top of the back of the washtub along the sides and bottom edges, leaving the top edge open to form a pocket. As you co around, make sure you tuck the ribbon edges underneath for a clean finish.

Cut out the white brush section of the scrubbing brush and sew it to another piece of white felt. Cut it out.

Cut out the thankless of the scrubbing brush from mauve felt and sandwich the brush section between it and another piece of mauve felt. Sew around the edges of the handle, catching the brush section in place underneath. Cut out the scrubbing brush, being careful as you cut past the brush section.

Add a grommet to the end of the scrubbing brush handle.

Attach the elastic to the rectangular button by threading it through and tying a knot to prevent it slipping back through. Thread the elastic through the top left grommets in the front and then back of the washtub so the elastic goes through to the back of the page. Bring it up through the top right grommets to the front of the page and attach the other end of the elastic to the scrubbing brush by threading it on and tying another knot to prevent it from slipping back through.

Hand sew on the sequins as bubbles above the washtub.

Place the pig in the muddy puddle or washtub and give him a scrub!

Finished!