Kyle's Quiet Book - 1982

While visiting Kyle over spring break (having delivered Cambria's and Whitney's quiet books) Kyle pulled out the one I made him in July, 1982 for his first birthday. Talk about a trip down memory lane!!

The cover fabric was from my Grandma Martin. She worked in the fabric department of a store in Terre Haute and used to buy remnants. She gave me many of those years ago (I used some of it to make my maternity clothes for Sarah's pregnancy.)

 My writing is so much better (although many of the letters are traced.)

 Like the one in Cambria's book, one eye peeps out.

 The collar and coat are just colored, not fabric and fur.

 I hardly ever do this one - usually it's Katy Caterpillar instead.

 Now I use fabric, felt, and googly eyes when I make this page.

Vanessa wants this one for Ian's book. Kyle told me to put white stripes on each end for a more realistic football.

Another page I rarely use. Maybe again? The felt house tore, but I think I can reinforce it well enough next time to prevent that from happening.

 No orange felt - this was before Kyle became an Illini fan!

 I like the job I did on the zipper. Will see if I can install the next zipper like that.

The flowers are only single layers of felt - no reinforcing fabric behind or double layer of felt. I am surprised at how well they have held up.

 I think this is the only time I have made this page.

 Aunt Leslie had made a beaded ring for this page but it came off.

 Another page I have rarely used. And I use velcro now, not snaps.

Fabric that I loved but could not afford when Sarah was a baby. Finally it went on sale, and I bought enough to make her overalls.

The back cover.

I offered to fix a few things in this book, but Kyle liked the way they were and the memories they held. I was glad to see how much meaning the quiet book still holds for Kyle.

Whitney's Quiet Book

I am so pleased with how Whitney's quiet book turned out! Certainly worth all the time and effort involved, that's for sure!

I ordered the Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric online from fabric.com. It was $10/yard, but the quality is high and the pattern so cute!

Someone suggested I sign and date my quiet books. Whitney's is the first. The orange ribbon reflects Kyle's Illinois roots.

 An old favorite - Katie Caterpillar!

The folk guitar was so big, I had to enlarge the kangaroo's pouch! The cowboy hat is a nod to Ashley's Texas years.

 The first redhead I have ever done.

 I think this page turned out really well.

I have started putting detail on the jacket that delineates the shoulders and the center (you can't really see it here.)

My mom was really sad that she could not get a scarf knitted for this page. I told her that if she did, I would remove this one and put hers in.

 Her touches are still evident in the waves...

 .... the palm tree that she drew...

 ... and the bees' trails and the verse on the flower page.

 This page takes a lot of work, but it is worth it when finished!

 "W" is for Whitney! (And on an orange bucket for her daddy!)

I created this page. Braden, Addie, and Corinne wanted me to use the same tiny bell I'd used in Corinne's book on the lamb. I decided to do a cow jumping over the moon. I am pleased with how it turned out.

Finally, the pillow made from leftover cover fabric.

Cambria Opens Her Quiet Book

After a long drive through Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, we arrived at Jessica and Andrew's for the first leg of our journey around dinner time Saturday. Opening Cambria's quiet book was one of the first things we did!

Two bags - one with the pillow and one with the quiet book.

Mommy helped encourage Cambria to look at her book - she'd never seen one before and wasn't quite sure what to do.

The bunny in the cradle was the first piece that Cambria pulled out to play with.

Her mama was very excited about the Caps for Sale page I had created and told me I should include it in other quiet books.

Cambria puts hats on the monkeys. She likes monkeys and can make a monkey sound (which she did while playing with this page.)

The counting page was a big hit, too - especially the cupcake.("Happy Birthday to you!" was sung.)

Whitney Opens Her Quiet Book

After all the work I put into the grandchildren's quiet books, it is a quiet thrill to watch them unwrap their gift and explore the book. Whitney's was no exception.

First, Dad helps her with the pillow while Corinne looks on.

And then she opens her book.

Since she has older siblings who have their own quiet books, she already had an idea of what to do with it.

And some of the pages were familiar as they were included in those other books.

Daddy's leg was a convenient place to put parts.

She knew that something was in the whale's mouth and unzipped it right away!

A fish, an anchor, a seahorse, and a mermaid! (That was some hungry whale!)

Peek a boo!!

Daddy seemed to enjoy playing with the book, too.

A special page I created for Whitney. Her siblings asked that I use the same bell that I put on a lamb in Corinne's. This time, I drew a moon, added some stars, and found a cow appliqué. I put the bell on a collar around its neck and then stitched velcro in several places so the cow can jump over the moon.

She really liked that.

The girl on the dress-up page is a red head - first one I've ever done with that hair color.

Gathering book and pillow together in a big hug. 

The rest of the evening, Whitney kept coming back over to play with it.

Yep, she likes it!