Cloth Books

[caytlyn]

Does anybody have any idea on how to make these? Would I use batting in between the pages? How would I bind it? Are there "kits" out there? Thanks!

[frodo]

well, here's some ideas

keep in mind i haven't tried this yet, but seeing your post gave me some ideas. i have a wonderful aunt who had 8 kids, and i loved visiting their home because everyone was always creating something - ceramics, paper flowers, doll furniture...this is the kind of thing they would have made.

i'm sure my aunt and cousins would say that you could make a cloth book anyway you can imagine it. i don't think batting would be necessary unless you want it. do you want a quilted book, an embroidered book, or painted fabric? for sturdier "pages" you could try batting, or you might just stitch 2 pieces of fabric together and turn them. there are several ways you can bind it. you can make double-wide pages and stitch with a reinforced seam up the middle. if the pages aren't thick you can just do 2 rows of stitching close together along the left edge. or, you can lace it together, maybe using eyelets, with heavy yarn or shoelace.

i was planning on making a felt board for my son for yuletide, but now i think i might try a felt book, with different colors of felt on each "page" and maybe a few sparse details, like a city skyline or hilly horizon. i could put a pouch in the back to hold felt letters, numbers, animals, people, and details like trees, cars or buildings, and have it either tie shut or close with velcro. i wouldn't have even thought of it if i hadn't seen your post. thanks!

blessings

[veganmamma]

Batting would be nice, there are some really great all natural cottons, and you could use seam binding for the binding of the book. If you want more than 5 pages or so batting might make it too thick for the seam binding. I have a friend who is making a cloth book. She's putting on 10 cent zippers form the bins that unzip to reveal animals from a jungle pattern. She got one faric with a ladybug print and stuffed the ladybugs so they are 3D. Just some ideas=)
Love
Lauren