Oh my, what can I say about this page? I was given this adorable piece of fabric illustrating the Hey Diddle Diddle nursery rhyme and I just couldn't figure out a way to use it in Andy's book without covering it up. After much pondering I decided to hide differently textured items under little flaps cut into the fabric. Voila!
Another tricky bit was that once I had the textured pieces sandwiched between the top and bottom fabric pieces I couldn't use the iron to fuse the pieces together. How does a person get two pieces of fabric to stay together without glue or fusible adhesive? Quilting. So after many evenings quietly quilting the page it is complete.
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Inner Strength
As there are now several pages ready to go, I thought I'd better resolve how to stiffen the pages.
My conclusion is this: I'll purchase a large piece of corrugated plastic like the sheets used in the shipping office where I work. Once trimmed down to size, the plastic should offer enough stiffness so that Andy can manipulate all the items of his pages and I'll still be able to pop the pages into the laundry when needed without compromising the longevity of the page.
I'll make a pocket for the plastic to slide into by edging an activity page and a nursery rhyme page in bias tape, then use velcro or something similar to close the page before it is inserted into the binder.
My conclusion is this: I'll purchase a large piece of corrugated plastic like the sheets used in the shipping office where I work. Once trimmed down to size, the plastic should offer enough stiffness so that Andy can manipulate all the items of his pages and I'll still be able to pop the pages into the laundry when needed without compromising the longevity of the page.
I'll make a pocket for the plastic to slide into by edging an activity page and a nursery rhyme page in bias tape, then use velcro or something similar to close the page before it is inserted into the binder.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Page 7: One, Two, Three, Come Play With Me
This was a lovely quick page. It is a fairly straightforward counting page with the numbers marked directly on the page, represented by the appropriate number of dots and some tactile objects on ribbon.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Page 6: It's a Zoo Out There
Oh dear. This page was an absolute farce! I wanted each of the zoo animals to be a four-piece puzzle that could be assembled in the middle of the page, then tucked away into corner pockets to clear the decks for the next puzzle animal to be assembled. Well... I'll be darned if I could figure out a way to attach the puzzle pieces to the page while keeping the integrity of the puzzle. I wanted Andy to have to think about the puzzle, not just memorize that the ribbons in this particular corner go here, etc. And I also wanted the page to be portable, not restricted to having to stay in the house.
So, late one night I recalled those funny flip-books where different outfits, hats and so on could be mixed and matched to make funny characters. Perfect, except that my pieces had already been cut out and ironed onto backings. Anyhow, after an awful lot of fiddling about with a leather punch, scissors and zap-straps the page is finally complete. Not quite how I had initially planned it, but it'll do the trick.
So, late one night I recalled those funny flip-books where different outfits, hats and so on could be mixed and matched to make funny characters. Perfect, except that my pieces had already been cut out and ironed onto backings. Anyhow, after an awful lot of fiddling about with a leather punch, scissors and zap-straps the page is finally complete. Not quite how I had initially planned it, but it'll do the trick.
Page 5: I'd Like to Be... Under the Sea
Well, with the exception of Noah's Ark, everything about this page is ocean oriented. Pretty much just a play page, there's nothing particularly educational about it. The kelp 'waves' in the current, and the cut-out shapes slide back and forth along string. The string with the two green fish and sea turtle also acts as a small 'chaser'.
My not-so-brilliant sewing skills are quite evident on this page. However, I'm sure Andy won't mind, so I'm leaving my mistakes as they are. I think every page that I've done so far has a few mistakes that I correct as I get closer to the page's completion.
My not-so-brilliant sewing skills are quite evident on this page. However, I'm sure Andy won't mind, so I'm leaving my mistakes as they are. I think every page that I've done so far has a few mistakes that I correct as I get closer to the page's completion.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Page 4: Safari Adventure
This page was very interesting to construct. Thank goodness there's such a thing as double sided fusible interfacing!
The puzzle at the center of the page, when woven properly, shows an elephant walking in one direction and when woven in the opposite manner, the elephant appears to walk the other way. The wooden bead animals travel along the ribbons at the top and bottom of the page.
It would be great to use a firm plastic (reclaimed perhaps from used binders) insert behind the pages so that Andy will have an easier time manipulating the page activities. I'll have to see what I can do to round up some used binders that use just plastic for the front and back covers - ten binders should do the trick as I'm making a total of twenty pages.
The puzzle at the center of the page, when woven properly, shows an elephant walking in one direction and when woven in the opposite manner, the elephant appears to walk the other way. The wooden bead animals travel along the ribbons at the top and bottom of the page.
It would be great to use a firm plastic (reclaimed perhaps from used binders) insert behind the pages so that Andy will have an easier time manipulating the page activities. I'll have to see what I can do to round up some used binders that use just plastic for the front and back covers - ten binders should do the trick as I'm making a total of twenty pages.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Page 3: Apple of My Eye
This page was a lot of fun to make. Each apple can be picked from the tree and placed in the basket.
I was torn about adding the ribbons to attach the apples to the book; I don't really like the aesthetic of having them, but I was concerned about the apples getting misplaced when we're out and about. Eventually, I decided that the ribbons can be snipped off if they become too cumbersome and that this particular page might have to remain at home so we don't misplace any bits.
Also, the materials used for this page were mostly from my Mum's craft stash, with the exception of the plain white fabric and the coarse brown fabric used for the apple basket. The fabric used for the basket was originally from my Grandma's house. She had a sewing project that had never been started. It had been my intention to work on it, but over a decade later it still hasn't been touched, so I thought at least it wouldn't be completely wasted if I incorporated it into Andy's book.
I was torn about adding the ribbons to attach the apples to the book; I don't really like the aesthetic of having them, but I was concerned about the apples getting misplaced when we're out and about. Eventually, I decided that the ribbons can be snipped off if they become too cumbersome and that this particular page might have to remain at home so we don't misplace any bits.
Also, the materials used for this page were mostly from my Mum's craft stash, with the exception of the plain white fabric and the coarse brown fabric used for the apple basket. The fabric used for the basket was originally from my Grandma's house. She had a sewing project that had never been started. It had been my intention to work on it, but over a decade later it still hasn't been touched, so I thought at least it wouldn't be completely wasted if I incorporated it into Andy's book.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Page 2: Feeling Connected
This page is all about fasteners. Some of the fasteners used on this page are: a buckle, key chain connector, zippers, snap, and an elastic toggle thingy.
I tried to use a 'Three Little Pigs' theme, but it didn't really work out other than using the funky fabric.
I tried to use a 'Three Little Pigs' theme, but it didn't really work out other than using the funky fabric.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Page 1: Driving Me to Distraction
This is the first page I worked on. I printed out some clipart pictures onto fabric, then trimmed and sewed on a piece of vinyl with yellow ribbon road lines.
The cars are made by stuffing some cotton fabric cars and attaching each car to the page with a long piece of elastic. While the cars aren't fantastic, they fit the washable/chewable requirements.
The cars are made by stuffing some cotton fabric cars and attaching each car to the page with a long piece of elastic. While the cars aren't fantastic, they fit the washable/chewable requirements.
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