How to sew a “seek and find” soft book for kids.

Hey fabric hounds, mommies, aunts, grandmas and stitching fellas!  Here’s an awesome project that uses up scraps of fabric.  Of course if you are a fabric junkie like me…..then I am sure you will want to visit your fabric shop and snag some prints to use.

The cover is a chevron print by Riley Blake Designs and the jumbo ric rac is theirs too.

This book is a “seek and find” book so I used prints that encourage counting, learning and exploring.  I also used prints that are story starters and a little educational too.

They are simple to put together and they are easy enough for beginner stitchers.

You will need:

For the pages: 12″ x 12″ cotton squares (you need 4 per page panel + 2 for the cover)
For the cover: 12″ x 24″cotton retanngle
Cotton batting (thin)
Scissors
Sewing machine and accessories
Jumbo Ric Rac
Scrap Fabric for Applique
Fusible Webbing
Button
Fabric Glue
Sharp Large Eye Needle
Embroidery Floss

For making the page panels: begin with two 12″ x 12″ fabric squares.

Position them right sides to right sides and pin down the center (be careful to pay attention to pattern alinement). Sew.

Repeat with two more pages.

Cut some cotton batting to fit the page panel.

Place two page panels right-sides together (match the center seams).  Position the cotton batting on one side.  Pin and sew around the outer edge (leave and opening for turning).

After sewing, clip the corners to remove the bulk.

Turn right-side out and press.  Pin the opening closed.  Top-stitch around the outer edge.

Free-form sew across the page panel.  This will hold the pages together when washing.

Prep the remaining pieces and sew in the same fashion.

Make the cover.

For the cover you will need 1 large rectangle and 2 squares sewn together.  Stitch them together with cotton batting as described above.

 Top-stitch around the edge.

 Pin and sew Jumbo Ric Rac around the outer edge of the book cover.

Free-form sew through all the layers of fabric to secure for washing.

Apply fusible webbing to the back of the applique fabric.  Sketch a design to applique. Cut out the design.

Position the applique, iron and satin stitch around the outer edge to secure.

Add a drop of fabric glue to the back of a button eye and stitch to secure.

Line up the cover and page panels so all the centers meet.  Hand sew through the center of each layer working your way down the spine of the fabric book.

Do yourself a favor and invest in a thimble and needle puller.

Spine views.

Back of book.