At last, the final sewing installment the Montessori wall map! It’s hard to believe I’ve finished sewing the whole world (just about)! The next and final post in this series will feature the world landmark printables. If you haven’t been following our Montessori wall map and quiet book yet, you can read all about it here. This post is for the continent of Australia.
Every continent (and the oceans) will have landmarks and animals. Australia has so many wonderful animals, but is too small on the scale of this map to fit more than 4 pieces I ended up choosing 3 animals (thanks to your votes on Facebook!) and one landmark for this continent. The landmark, the Sydney Opera House, is the only landmark I chose in this project that doesn’t have a matching Safari LTD figurine. It was so iconic that I couldn’t not make it, though. I included: The Sydney Opera House, and Emu, a Koala and a kangaroo.
Overview and Map Patterns • Africa • Antarctica • Asia • Australia Europe • North America • Oceans • South America
Our finished map!
This project is totally free for you to use (though commercial use requires a license.) If you’d like to support my designs, one way is to make a purchase off of Jax’s Amazon wishlist – he turns 4 on February 5th! I use his list to bookmark school and craft items until I am able to get them. For more ways to contribute to this site, visit my support page.
Materials I Used
The Pattern (see the first post for the main patterns) Felt from American Felt & Craft – pastry [golden taupe], chocolate [deep brown], fresh linen [off white], monkey [red brown], honeydew [light green], sparrow [light blue], ice [aqua blue], rocky point [heather taupe], elephant [charcoal], gray, white and black. Hook & Loop – I used white snag-free Velcro
For the Australia quiet book page, I sewed a running stitch (dashed) outline around the Australia pattern piece and sewed down snag-free Velcro to line up with the Velcro on the back of the Australia piece.
Australia: (Felt used: chocolate brown) For the Australian continent puzzle piece, I sewed down pieces of brown loop Velcro. On the back, I sewed strips of white snag-free Velcro to correspond with the Velcro in the quietbook and the wall map. I finished it by sewing the two sides together around the edge with a blanket stitch.
Label: (Felt used: chocolate brown) For the continent label, I folded under the edges (just a tiny bit to hide the rough edges) and creased it with my nails. The printer fabric held the folds nicely without ironing. Then I stitched the label to some brown felt and trimmed it down to be a border. I cut a matching felt rectangle for the back, sewed snag-free Velcro to it and then sewed both sides together.
For all of the animals, I started by gluing the pieces down to a scrap of background felt with a very light amount of felt glue. I glue multiple animals at a time to give them time to dry. I sewed them down, trimmed the background and cut a matching backing piece. I sewed snag-free Velcro to the back and sewed both sides together with a blanket stitch.
We love this animal encyclopaedia!
Emu: (Felt used: rocky point heather beige and chocolate dark brown for the body, grey light grey and elephant charcoal gray for the head and legs and honeydew light green for the background) For the emu, I tacked everything into place with felt glue. I then sewed all the pieces down around their edges. I made little dashed stitches with brown floss to make his feather texture. His eye is a gold French knot with a tiny black stitch in the center. His mouth is a black line.
Kangaroo: (Felt used: monkey red-brown for the body and pastry beige for the background) I started by tacking everything down with felt glue. The joey’s head and kangaroo leg go on top of the body. I stitched everything down around the edges, the back stitched the line of the kangaroo’s elbow. There is a straight stitch in her ear and the pouch. Both eyes are black French knots.
Koala: (Felt used: gray for the bodies, white for the ears, black for the noses, chocolate dark brown for the tree and honeydew light green for the background) I started by tacking everything down with felt glue. Then I stitched everything down around the edges (except the white of the ears). The eyes are brown French knots. Their nails are brown straight stitches. I back stitched the mama koala’s mouth.
Sewing the Landmarks
For all the landmarks in this project, I started by sewing the front piece. Then I cut out a backing felt to match the final shape and added some snag-free Velcro to it. I finished sewed around the whole edge, switching colors where needed. For all of the detail work, see the photos for a sample of where to stitch.
Sydney Opera House: (Felt used: pastry beige and white for the building, ice for the water and sparrow blue for the background) I glued down the building pieces and stitched down the edges. Using three shades of brown floss, I made many straight stitches to add details of the building. I looked at photos online for reference. See my close up for exactly what I did.
These animals are from Safari LTD’s Down Under TOOB
Montessori Australian Animals 3-Part Cards
The series of 3-Part cards I am making for this project is something that Jax will be using for many years in homeschool. I have been focusing on the animals in these posts, but the next post will feature all the landmarks we sewed. Eventually, we will expand our collection of cards even more to include cultures, more landmarks, and so much more. Three part cards are extremely flexible learning tools.
Click here to download my free pdf file to make your own animals of Australia cards. To make mine, I cut them out, glued them to brown construction paper (to match Australia’s Montessori color) then laminated them. I use this laminator
I know many of you are sewing along (or plan to after the holidays!) If you are, stop by my Instagram @iolstephanie and leave a comment on one of my photos (I can’t see your photo if it you are private, but I can request to follow you temporarily if you leave a comment on mine about it) or share photos on Facebook. You can also email me. I love seeing what others make from my patterns!
I know many of you are sewing along, or will be soon. If you are, stop by my Instagram @iolstephanie and leave a comment on one of my photos (I can’t see your photo if it you are private, but I can request to follow you temporarily if you leave a comment on mine about it) or share photos on Facebook. You can also email me. I love seeing what others make from my patterns!
Montessori Monday is a fabulous resource of Montessori and homeschool ideas! Please visit for more great projects…
Hi there, Stephanie, thanks for all the inspirational patterns! I’ve just tried to download the Australia one but “The Pattern” link indicates that the page is not found and the “3 part animal cards” download as “the pattern”. Thus the “3 part animal cards” are nowhere to be found on your page.
Sorry about that! They should be fixed now. Here is a direct link:
http://www.imagineourlife.com/printables/Cards-Australia-Animals.pdf
OK, the final post is up, so that means there’s no excuse for me to not start, right?
I didn’t know there was such a thing as printer fabric, I’m so excited to see that — we’re planning on doing some shape beanbags so that will come in handy!
This project is amazing!! I love it and…I have my felt ready 🙂 Well, not sure if I will complete all the animals but will make the continents for sure 🙂 Great job!
You are amazingly talented! This is incredible!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Maybe one day I will attempt this marvellous work of art. The cards are a wonderful resource too!
Wow! Your project has been absolutely amazing, Stephanie! Thanks SO MUCH for generously sharing your printables! I featured your Australian animal cards as the Free Printable of the Day at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page and on Pinterest. 🙂
Thank you for the feature, Deb!
Truly amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing… you’re so creative! I was wondering if you can share where you purchase those adorable wooden boxes? I love how they are segmented… The one in your Europe continent post inspired me to ask! 🙂
I get them at thrift stores. Many are the boxes that Melissa & Doug toys come in. I find empty ones for $0.50 – $1.00.
It certainly isn’t all-encompassing – it would have to be a big book to have everything! But it has a lot of animals! We haven’t really run into one without a mention. But it is great for Jax’s age (4) because there are a lot of photos and little facts. I like the range maps, but the book is older and most likely some are out of date. If they had a newer volume, I’d get it!
Stephanie, Hi, I don’t usual post on sites, but I have to tell you these ideas are wonderful.. I teach special needs children and have made the Valentine Mailbox and I am working on the world map. I am incorporating them into lessons in my classroom. Thanks so much for your ideas and creativity.
Thanks for the sweet note!
Time-strapped mom here- Do you sell any of your completed items? I would love this map and all of the counties animal felt work and cards. Please let me know or if you know of someone who has purchased your licenses and does so on the up-and-up. Thanks!
My authorized sellers are listed here:
http://www.imagineourlife.com/quiet-book-patterns/authorized-sellers/
Many will do custom orders from my patterns if you ask!
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Hi Stephanie, I inspired with your world map. It’s so awesome! Do you have any idea where can I find pattern for Australian and European animal? Thanks so much.
Hi awesome idea and work. Definitely going to try some of that. Could you help me please with where you get the images from ? Like the ones of the different animals tat u glued onto paper.. platypus etc. Thanks
I have begun work on a wall set for my daughter who turns 3 March5th. I hope, with all else going on, it’s ready by then. I think you’ve been super detailed and present a lot more than what I had pictured in my head!
Thanks for sharing the cards. I am teaching an Australian themed preschool camp this month and just picked up the animal tube.
Hi Stephanie
I love this project, and I am making it for my grandson, I cannot find a printable pattern for the animals of Australia or Africa could you send a link?
Found them! Wow this is going to be so amazing! Thank you so much!
Hi Stephanie, thanks so much for creating such a beautiful project. I wanted to know if it’s possible to purchase the other animal patterns that weren’t available on this site for all the continents.
Hi Stephanie,
I am new to sowing and behind in time as my home schooled daughter will be 7 this November. We are using the Sonlight curriculum which has us studying the animals from around the world. I have another daughter who is turning 2 in Sep. so I am thinking that even though I might be a bit late in getting this project underway I might have it done by the time the little one is ready for school. LOL Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for posting this…I am feeling inspired! 🙂 I can’t promise to follow your design….like I said I am a total newbie…but thanks for the inspiration!!
God bless you!
Pingback: Juego: Mapa del mundo+ animales
Thank you for sharing! You are so talented!
I’m just wondering where did you get those figures?
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