With my girls at the perfect age to introduce independent sensory play, my willingness to wait for the restock of a soft book I’d ordered several weeks prior had run out. After cancelling my order and searching online for a fitting replacement to no avail, I decided it was probably something I could make myself anyway. Spontaneous outings are not typical around here, but that day, we made an exception. I fed, changed, and gathered my two girls along with all the necessities for an outing, and ventured to the craft store for supplies.
Nora slept the entire time, as per usual. She is a great on-the-go sleeper! Maddie, however, is still my little observer. She rarely falls asleep if there’s something around worth watching. A trip to the craft store proved worthy! Her little eyes lit up as we walked the aisles and I showed her what we were getting.
As I dedicated the next several days to making this one-of-a-kind set for my daughters, I was reminded of just how special it was (and still is) to have something my mama made for me. Thinking back, she handmade a LOT for us. (Thanks, Mama!!) I feel so blessed to do the same for my babies.
Originally, I intended to make a soft accordion-style book, similar to the one I’d had my heart set on. But as I envisioned how it would be played with, I landed on loose “tiles” instead of a book. I’m so glad I did! The set functions perfectly for us as I am able to scatter them about the girls’ play mat, or hand them each an individual tile (and change it up) as they lie on their backs or sit in their bouncers.
The mountain crinkles, the sun rays flap… each piece has it’s own special sensory features. I included a closer look at each tile on my Instagram stories (@theelleinlove – added to “Sensory” highlight).
I am not even a little bit qualified to provide a sewing tutorial, and so for that reason, I’m sharing this primarily as visual inspiration paired with supply sources and a few notes. If you make your own, be sure to let me know! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Supplies:
100% Linen (white) | Cotton Fat Quarters (gray, yellow and brown) | Thread (various colors) :: JoAnn’s
Yarn (“Strawberry Fields” & “Lakeside”) :: Amazon
Batting :: Amazon
Wool Blend Felt (antique white) :: American Felt and Craft
Sew-in Crinkle Paper :: American Felt and Craft (or here is a similar product on Amazon)
+ misc materials from my personal stash
Notes:
– The belt is made out of the same linen and batting I used for the tiles, with just a bit of sew-on velcro. I cannot say enough just how worth it it was to make an option for collecting and storing the pieces when not in use! It’s just a small, simple touch, but one I appreciate having on a daily basis.
– I doubled-up on the batting to make the tiles a little more substantial. First, I sewed the appliques to the front fabric plus one layer of the batting, and then added a second layer of batting with the back fabric so that the stitching would be hidden in between those two layers.
– Taking on this project required sacrifice. I specify this because it’s exhausting wondering how others seem to get it all done, when I’m over here with a sink full of dishes, piles of laundry, and at least a dozen un-replied-to text messages. Normally, all of that is what I attempt to whittle down while the girls are both sleeping throughout the day, but I pretty much turned a blind eye to the rest of my to do list for a few days. In support of the mission, my incredible husband picked up a lot of the slack.
– My “style” whenever I make something is intentionally imperfect. Otherwise, the outcome would never be good enough for my self-imposed standards. In case you’re like me and need permission to let go of perfectionism, here’s what I remind myself of: The imprecision adds character and whimsy, not to mention a special touch that says “this is handmade with love”.
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xoxo,
m