Quiet Book Series: My Quiet Book Cover

Instructions:

1. First cut the iron-on adhesive down to 9x12 inches and iron it onto the white felt following the instructions on the product and using the cloth to protect your felt.
2. Next, trace the letters backwards onto the paper side of the iron-on adhesive with a pen. I like to call mine “My Quiet Book,” but you can personalize yours with your child's name if you prefer. I recommend peeling off the paper backing before trimming the letters, as it often comes off during the cutting process. This way, the traced line remains visible on the adhesive layer. That said, you can test yours—if the backing is more securely attached, you may prefer to leave it on and trace directly onto the paper. Use fabric scissors and an X-Acto knife to cut out the letters.
3. Arrange the letters onto a full sheet of turquoise felt, adhesive side down. Place it carefully onto your ironing mat. Cover with a rag or towel and iron according to the instructions on your adhesive package—some require a damp cloth, others dry. Hold the iron in place and lift up and down rather than sliding side to side, as the letters may shift. I always like to do this step first in case I mess it up and need to redo it—but I also embrace minor imperfections and encourage you to do the same. It’s handmade, after all!

4. Next use the remaining turquoise felt to cut the pieces of the cover. Imagine it like a binder cover times two: an inside layer and an outside layer. These are the pieces you will need to cut: two bindings, four handles, and two straps for the enclosure.

a. To cut the bindings, simply fold a piece of felt in half vertically and cut it down the middle, creating two pieces approximately 5.5 x 12 inches each. You can use a rotary cutter and ruler if you prefer, but I find it doesn’t make much difference later—felt tends to stretch as you sew it anyway.

b. To cut the handles, I recommend four pieces around 1.5 x 12 inches. Again, you’ll trim them later so being exact isn’t quite necessary.

c. For the enclosure strap, cut two pieces of felt approximately 6 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, rounding one end of each piece.

5. Take your handles, enclosure strap pieces, and a small piece of Velcro (just large enough to fit on the rounded end of the enclosure strap) to the sewing machine. Also bring the front cover where you adhered the letters.

a. Thread the machine with the turquoise thread and select the running stitch. Position the Velcro on the front cover horizontally and stitch on.

b. Next, position the matching piece of Velcro on the enclosure strap and stitch it on. Then attach the back piece of the enclosure strap by stitching around the edge, encasing the back of the Velcro inside. Trim the edges of the felt with scissors for a clean, finished look.

6. Put two of the handle pieces of felt together and stitch straight down the middle. Then I use the presser foot to line up one stitch to the left of that line and one line of stitches to the right of the center line. I find this creates a nice sturdy handle. Trim the edges if they are not aligned.

7. Next, take one of the binding pieces and line it up with your previously made Quiet Book pages. Use an X-Acto knife to cut holes for the eyelets at the appropriate height to match the holes on your pages. If you haven’t made any pages yet, don’t worry—you can align them later to match the eyelet holes on the cover. No need to cut perfect circles; cutting small squares is easier and works just as well.

a. Insert the eyelets and affix them together with the hammer and eyelet tool.

8. To sew the inner layer of the cover, start by placing a plain piece of turquoise felt right sides together with the binding piece that has the eyelets. Sew a straight stitch along the aligned left edge. Next, take a second plain piece of turquoise felt and place it right sides together with the other side of the binding piece. Sew a straight stitch along the aligned right edge.

9. Repeat this process of sewing right-side to the right-side, thus concealing all the stitches inside, with the similar pieces for the outer layer of the cover.
10. Prepare your cover “sandwich” by laying the outside cover right-side down and the inside cover right-side up. Place the layers into the sewing machine, starting at the upper left-hand corner. I find it easiest to sew across the top edge first, as it helps align the rest of the cover. As you reach the corners, get ready to insert the handles and enclosure strap at the correct heights. Line up the Velcro on the cover with the Velcro on the enclosure strap, and insert the strap between the layers at the appropriate height on the far right side and back of the cover (as shown here). You can pin these pieces in place ahead of time if you prefer. Continue stitching around the edges of the cover, keeping the felt smooth and flat. Don’t worry if some areas don’t line up perfectly—you can trim any excess later. Avoid stretching the felt or forcing it to align, as that may cause ripples. Instead, let the felt lay naturally and clean up the edges after sewing, as demonstrated in this image.

9. Trim off any misaligned edges and loose threads for a clean, finished look. Then, insert the binder rings into the eyelets and add your previously made Quiet Book pages.