touchy stuff

Touchy Stuff.

The stuff of toddler dreams.

 

 

I don’t know who the artist might be for this wonderful grandma with a butterfly on her nose.  I’ll bet there are more fun illustrations where this one came from. If YOU know, will you tell me?

 

 

I have yet to make a successful and complete Quiet Book. From the time that I bought my first traditional pattern book in 1968 until just before I made Touchy Stuff, I have admired, drooled over and coveted other people’s Quiet Books. I have started but given up on several. I thought that maybe I had outgrown the fear of the Quiet Book, with all of its detail and hand work and Velcro and snaps and little pieces. It was worth a try.

So. I embarked.  But, it wasn’t long before I began to weaken under the pressure.

I browsed the Quiet Book images I had collected on my computer and surveyed my supplies.

Then, I deleted the image file.

Touchy Stuff.

{ Not a traditional Quiet Book but just as entertaining. }

 

 

Instead of one book which a child cannot really share until he or she is finished with it, I made 6×6 squares. They are highly textured and “touchy” on both sides. Sandwiched between the two layers of texture is a piece of stiff interfacing. I tediously turned under the edges and used a blanket stitch to sew the two sides together. Anything that needed to go between the layers was tucked in and sewn tight as I sewed my way around the square.

Yes. By hand. 

{ That was one of my self-imposed rules. }

Half the battle was thinking outside of the box at the dollar store.

The touchy square above includes various sizes of spongy, pink, curlers with the plastic center removed . . . stiff blue foam curlers cut into small pieces and buttons. These things are strung onto skinny elastic and sewn tightly into the seam where the two squares meet.

Even though things are sewn tightly, it is okay to be squeamish about buttons and bells. I get it.

 

This touchy square includes red “parka” fabric and hair bands. The hair bands came 5 for $1 and are made of rubber. They are sewn very tightly to each side of the finished square. Clothespins on this side and something else on the other.

 

 

Do you know what these touchy things on this touchy square are?  They are foam pencil grippers. They came ten in a package and are strung together on laces. The touchy square itself is made of really soft and thick upholstery fabric.

 

 

 

 

These are skinny, foam rollers from the dollar store with the plastic center removed. They are strung onto elastic and enhanced with bells. The ends of the elastic are sewn very tightly into the seams of the touchy square.

 

I pulled the yellow foam from the handle of a scrubbing wand and sewed it to a touchy square before I sewed the squares together. The hairbands in bright colors are not sewn on. They can be lifted off and on the yellow fluffy thing. They can be twisted around more than once.

 

 

 

Pink pom poms with sparkly strands were sewn onto the touchy square before the two squares were joined together.

 

Two or three in a cellophane bag. Ready to pop into a diaper bag .

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS !