I have been playing with felt lately in my quest to make a quiet book (my very first) based on fine motor and life skill development. That book is doing very well and is almost done. With my youngest turning 2 next month I thought to make her her own quiet book filled with things that would interest her.
Update: It has been a very long time (3+ years!) since I made this quiet book! It is still holding up well despite a few missing apple loose pieces.(I need to replace them!) It is a much handled book and was well worth the make!
Update again!: I now have a video tutorial!! See the bottom of this post!
This is how to make a quiet book the no sew way.
To make a quiet book you will need.
- A shape to trace or measurements for your desired size felt pages (I used a broken board book)
- pen / marker
- felt of a base color (light green in mine)
- scissors
- hot glue gun or equivalent glue
- velcro for securing books tab (I used a velcro dot)
Firstly decide on how many pages you are going to make. Then measure or trace the pages and cut them out. I have used a broken potty training board book as it was a great size and made a rather nice quiet book template.
Also cut a cover for your book by adding a spine between 2 page. Don’t cut alone the spine.
Heat up the glue gun and get ready to assemble your blank quiet book. What I wanted to do here was have a nice page fold that would hold up to toddlers pulling. I went with hot gluing each page together first.
1. Line up your page.
2. Gently fold over the page and squeeze out a line of hot glue along the edge.
3. Flip the page back and press together to ensure good glue contact between the 2 pages.
4. Line up the next page on top of the two you just glued and repeat step 2 and 3 until all are glued together.
You now have a secured sandwich of felt pages and are ready to make a quiet book!
Bring out your cover and make a glue line next to the spine to attach the pages to the cover in the same way you did above.
Zigzag the glue along the stack of pages, close the cover and firmly press the spine to get a smooth effect.
You can see below an example of pressing the spine. Open the book and add another line of glue to the first page near spine to get a closed and neat look to your first page, just like the rest of the book!
I had to trim my cover and a few pages once I was done to get an even look. Lastly fit the books tab and glue it to the back of the book. I have not added my felt dot for the front yet as I want to wait to see how fat the book is going to turn out before I secure the tab to close.
And there we have it! An empty felt book all ready for you to fill full of fascinating things for your little one!
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Other Quiet Books I’ve made!
AND don’t forget to pin this so you can find it later!
How to make a no sew quiet book video tutorial:
Have you ever made a felt quiet book? How did it turn out, any tips and tricks to share on how to make a quiet book?
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Victoria riley says
thank you so much for having a video!! I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making one of these and I am a visual learner so the video was amazing for me!! You’re so good at making them and making the instructions simple! I very much appreciate it. 🙂
Angela Richardson says
can you tell me what thickness felt you used please
Nicolette Roux says
it is normal felt. You can go thicker for more handleability though!
Jen says
Hi…It’s Great idea
I’m trying to do
I have a query
it’s fabric or paper
Nicolette Roux says
this is all felt (material / fabric)
Liza says
Love your posts! Thank you!
Amanda C says
It has been a while since this original post. How did the hot glue hold up? I am concerned that the pieces will pull apart easily. Thanks!
Nicolette Roux says
yes! it is still going strong!
Gargi says
O man, I am so in love with this book and will surely try to make it for my 13 months old son. The only problem is he puts everything in his mouth first and tries to swallow..
Nicolette Roux says
My 13 month also does this!!
I made this quiet book for my then 2 year old. I have actually almost completed a quiet book for the younger ones (like our 13 month olds!) I will try to share it soon!
Gargi says
Great, can’t wait for it… Thanks for prompt reply 🙂
Amy says
I’m actually thinking about making an altered version as a baby book (for me and my sister-in-law). Many of the activities will have to be altered or completely changed because of the age discrepancy, but the techniques will be SO useful! I was thinking about making something with just general shapes/animals/colors for the babes and I figure I can make a few flip up pages or something. Definitely NO detachable parts yet, lol! But when the time comes for new ones I can’t wait to use all of your ideas. Have you seen the felt fishing? I don’t know where my friend found it, but she just used magnets, sticks, string, and cut out felt fish. That could be a cute page too. Thanks again for all the wonderful ideas!
Nicolette Roux says
That is great!! I am actually busy making my 10 month old a lift the flap / peek book right now! 🙂
Natali says
Hi,
Would like to ask which glue gun is suitable for creating this felt book at home?
20W or 80W?
Thanks
Natali.
Nicolette Roux says
The one I used is a 20W
Mirella says
Love it… But I have a question..dont the felt objects like apples, shapes become too soft to hold in the hand. Are they double layered? I feel like my child will just squeesh them in her hand. Also what isvthe ideal age to introduce this..
Nicolette Roux says
depends on your child. mine was made for her 2nd birthday.. so I suggest 22 months perhaps? if you have a parts eater it might have to be supervised! Also the apples have velcro hot glued onto the back which makes the apples very sturdy.
Jessica @ Curious Chickadee says
Thank you so much! You made me realize it was possible to create a beautiful Quiet Book without a sewing machine. I just finished my very first one! I wrote an article about it on my blog if someone’s interested.
Nicolette Roux says
LOVE IT!!! Some great ideas too
Margaret Sonnemann says
Sorry but which temp glue gun and glue? We have a choice of high or low temp in Australia.
Nicolette Roux says
Mine would be a high temp one. I would test out the low temp one if you already have it on some scrap felt.
Maria Mustaklem says
Hi Nicolette !! Thanks a lot for this super easy tutorial !!! I really enjoyed making this quiet book twice for my daughter and my nephew.. I wanted to ask do you mind if I re-blog about it on my blog motherhoodandmore.net ??
Nicolette Roux says
Thank you! I am glad you liked it! I dont mind one picture with proper link credit for re-sharing on a blog 🙂 If you are sharing the one you made share away but link to me for the instructions. Thanks!
Jessica says
I found your directions very confusing. do you have a tutorial video?
Nicolette Roux says
I plan to make one in the next month or so when I make a new quiet book. Join my newsletter list and you will get the notification 🙂 I hope that helps!
michele mathe says
How much felt (in yards) do you need for base of book itself?
Nicolette Roux says
around 2ish yards depends on the size you are making your book
Kyra says
I was wondering if they still held up. It’s been a few months. I’m wanting to make a few to sell (for a business class project) and want something of good quality but that I can make without sewing.
Nicolette Roux says
It is still going STRONG! We have lost an apple or two simply because my kids are rather ruff with this book and the apples are loose parts. If you do make these for selling please let me know I would like to include a link for those who would love to buy it instead of make it. (Also be sure to credit me as your inspiration source!) Much appreciated. Nicolette.
Carla McGlashan says
Fantastic ideas! I’ll be starting my quiet book this weekend!
Mihaela says
Perfect idea for not sewers, like myself! 🙂
Carrie says
This is adorable! And I love that there’s no sewing involved.
Thanks for linking up at Wordy Wednesday!
Jelli says
I can’t sew a lick, so this is perfect! My little girl is outgrowing her a.m. nap so I’ve been looking for activities like this to keep her busy while my baby naps. Thanks so much, Nicolette!
Jill says
This is great! I am not handy with a needle and thread, so this is an ideal way for me to try my hand at a quiet book.
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
[email protected] in Pyjamas says
This a great alternative to sewing, glue guns are perfect for holding things together.
Nika says
Can you please tell me more about the felt? When I looked at making a quiet book out of felt all I found were the felt sheets that were 8X11 and didn’t seem very durable for 2-4 year old destruction. What kind is it? Where do you purchase it? How much does it cost? I looked into the wool blend felts too but they were pricey! Thanks!
Nicolette Roux says
The felt I used was just plain felt. The material shop sells these in yards. The 8×11 you are talking about is most likely the very thin type that stretches badly when pulled. The felt I used did stretch when pulled vigorously, but I think all felt does that. My only suggestion is to go to a material store and ask the experts. Mine is most definitely NOT wool blend. It was cheap.
Alicia Owen says
LOVE this! Glue guns are my best friend. I’m pretty fond of felt too. 😉 I’ve been meaning to make my daughter a quiet book for forever. Thanks for sharing on Tuesday Tots.
Aubrey says
I never thought to use an old board book between the felt to make a front and back cover. So smart! Pinning now. 🙂
Julie V. says
I will have to try this. I work with nursery kids (age 1.5-3) and they seem to break everything I bring in! I hot glued erasers to popsicle sticks: pulled apart in minutes by a certain boy. I got hearts on wooden sticks: apparently the sticks are easy to snap in two. I had sun faces cut out of poster board: they eventually broke as well.
Yes, I should probably also work on teaching them to be nice to my props. The one prop I have that does work are my fabric stars that I sewed a lot… but felt and glue guns in a book will be good and easier.
Nicolette Roux says
oh my! My 3 year old does exactly the same thing! craft sticks in broken in 2 basically anything that he can destroy he does! So far this felt book is holding up well. I am even considering making him his own, since I made it for his younger sister.
JDaniel4's Mom says
Thank you so much for walking me through how to make this wonderful book step by step.
Steffany @Spit and Sparkles says
Great idea! I found your blog via the hop at No Time For Flashcards. My twins are constantly ripping up books, and my daughter likes to chew on the cardboard! This would be a great alternative for both of my children, especially to entice them to sit on the potty for longer than 5 seconds. Thanks for sharing!
montessoricarrie says
I have such fond memories of my quiet time book from when I was a child. I would take it everywhere! I’m hopeless with the sewing machine so I have checked out some on etsy to purchase. I look forward to seeing your ideas to finish the book. Perhaps it is within my ability levels! Thanks for sharing!
Jesenia says
I love this! I can’t sew at all, so this is in my league. Thanks for sharing!
Nicolette Roux says
Pleasure! I have already started working on the inside bits. 😀
Chelsea says
I love this! Went to the craft store to figure out how to make one but everything needed sewed. Are you going to post the inside of your book when you are done with it? I have a few ideas but not many.
Nicolette Roux says
Yes!! The inside of the book is coming soon! 🙂
Crystal Green says
This is so cool. I am glad you showed me how to do this with a glue gun. Quick question, does it come apart after a few uses with your little one though?
Nicolette Roux says
It hasnt so far! The glue is sticking rather well. The 3 year old and 2 year old have been tugging.. hard
montessoricarrie says
So good to know! I was wondering the same thing. My daughter’s first reaction is to pull & destroy!
Jennifer Sikora says
That is the cutest book I have ever seen! I am going to see if we can make some of these for our preschool group
Nicolette Roux says
I am sure they will LOVE it!
Amanda @artsy_momma says
This is perfect since I am awful at sewing! 😉
Alli says
What a fantastic idea!. Any project that doesn’t require sewing is right up my alley!
Barb @ A Life in Balance says
So beautiful! I love my glue gun!
Jill says
How very creative!! The book is so warm, inviting, and just waiting for hours of play 🙂
Alison Wood says
Completely love this! Adorable! Will be sharing on my FB page. 🙂
Nicolette Roux says
Thanks! <3
Cassie @ 3Dinosaurs.com says
That is so clever! I really need to make some quiet books.
Cynthia L. says
What a great idea. I love that it is no sew and also the bright colors. I am sure it would be a child’s favorite!
Christy Garrett Parenting Tips says
This is a cute idea. If you use velcro, you can even make the story interchangeable. Very creative, thank you for sharing.
montessoricarrie says
Great idea!