Hello friends! I’m so excited to finally have some quietbook patterns in the works for you. And, right before New Year’s Eve, I was inspired to start a holiday quietbook for Sebastian. I plan to regularly release quick holiday patterns (all free!) so you can sew along with me.
This pattern features New Year’s Eve. It has numbers to match, snaps to close, a NYE ball to “drop” and sequins that encourage little fingers to trace, much like Montessori sandpaper letters do. There are also two fireworks that add fun textures to feel.
To make this page I used:
The Pattern: download it here
Felt in: grape, royal purple, hot pink, key lime pie, orange juice, sunshine, and grey flannel
Sequins in: silver streak, hot pink, dragonfly, goldfish, and buttercup
Star Sequins: assorted colors, plus three silver (mine are this brand but bought in a craft store)
Assorted Ribbon and Ric-Rac: I used 3″ – 4″ pieces from my stash
Your Choice of Binding Method: I’ve always used 3 grommets, but I’m testing out three 2″ hook & loop strips.
Sewing the Number Pieces
To make each of the number pieces, start by sewing a line of matching sequins down the middle of the front piece as shown. I like to make two stitches for each sequin. It looks like back stitch when they are all lined up. Sew a snap to the backing piece. I usually put the female side on the page and the male side on the loose piece. Use blanket stitch to sew around the edges of the piece.
You can definitely chose any color you’d like for the numbers. I let Sebastian choose. But it would look amazing in colors like black/silver/gold!
Sewing the Background
Allowing about 2″ on the side for the binding, sew down the purple numbers. Make sure to catch the end of a ribbon under the top of the 0. It need to be long enough to go past the top of the page. Sew the other half of the snap sets to the numbers, making sure they line up.
The orange firework is created by folding a bundle of 4″ – 5″ ribbons and ric-rac in half, stitching them down, and sewing a star sequin on top. I used two pieces each of orange mini ric-rac and ribbon. The pastel firework uses 3″ – 3.5″ ribbons and ric-rac laid out in a starburst shape with a star sequin sewn onto the intersection. I used two pieces each of pick and blue ric-racs and two each of pink and blue ribbons.
Choose and color combination you’d like for the fireworks! They are good for using up ribbon scraps.
Sewing the NYE Ball
Start by sewing silver sequins to the front piece. I added 3 star sequins for extra sparkle. When sewing the front and back pieces together, you will need to leave a tunnel for the ribbon the slide freely through. I started my blanket stitch a bit off-center and continued just short of halfway around (see diagram). I then blanket stitched across the ribbon opening only through the top layer. I wrapped the piece around the ribbon before sewing the other side (leaving a gap at the top for the ribbon to come out) so I didn’t have to thread it through later. Along the top ribbon opening, I again blanket stitched only through the top layer. This made the stitching look consistent and gave the openings a bit more strength. Your finished ball should slide up and down the ribbon easily.
Finishing the Page
You can finish the page however you prefer. I normally sew a backing on, reinforce the binding edge with a couple rows of stitching, and add three grommet holes. This time I am trying something new. I haven’t tested it yet so I can’t let you know how it goes yet! I did everything the same, except I sewed three 2″ strips of hook and loop tape to the page and the backing in the binding area. I put the rough side on the backing and the soft side on the page. The idea is you can stack the pages together but the child and separate them easily. I plan to do a cover that will attach to the top and bottom pages in the stack, once I see how big this holiday project ends up. Or maybe I’ll make separate front and back covers… We’ll see how it goes!
If you sew along with me on this holiday project, please tag me on any Instagram photos you post! My IG is @iolstephanie and you can use the hashtag #imagineourlife. You can also post to my Facebook page. I love our little community there and I hope we can all be more active in 2019! I’m not the best at social media as I try to spend my time creating. I don’t even watch tv, as I’d need more hours in the day!!
Something fun we’ve been doing is daily vlogging on YouTube! I include clips of sewing projects whenever I can. Please subscribe here, and click the bell to be notified of new videos. I post every night!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy making this quick little page! I’d say the slowest page is the sequins, but they aren’t too bad. They really add a lot to the page. I’ll see you soon with a birthday-themed quietbook page!