I am no creative genius, but since having kids, I have found time and again that making something myself was better than buying. Generally, I make it myself if it is 1) cheaper, 2) better quality, or 3) better tailored to what I want or need.
Shortly before my first son was born, my grandmother gave me one of her old sewing machines, and at once I put my decidedly mediocre skills to work making nursery decor — crib sheets, a dust ruffle, and a valance. I couldn’t find anything I liked in the store, so I picked some fabric and just went for it. (Pro tip: I started by making a lot of things on striped fabric, which really helps the inexpert seamstress keep a straight line.)
I can’t overstate how inexperienced I was at sewing. Just to illustrate: I had to watch a couple of YouTube videos to figure out how to thread my own machine.
Then I made a carseat cover, i.e. a rectangle with loops that button onto the carseat handle. More YouTube videos: “How to sew a buttonhole.”
Those early projects went reasonably well, and my DIYing drive grew from there. Whenever I wanted something and couldn’t quite find what I wanted, I tried to make it. A quiet book. A nap mat. Play food. Extra risers for our train set. Other decor items. Simple toys.
If you are new to DIY, try not to be intimidated out of the game by what you see on Pinterest. Remember that everybody had to start somewhere; nobody was born with hot melt glue gun in hand. (Yikes.) Here are some basic principles to get you started, illustrated through my Quiet Book project.
A quiet book — or “busy book” if you prefer — is a book designed to help young children practice fine motor skills. Pages vary greatly, but most include small parts to manipulate, such as buttons, zippers, snaps, or pockets, as well as a variety of textures for little hands to explore. Commercially mass-produced quiet books are a bit uninspired, but to purchase a high-quality handmade option on Etsy can get pretty $$$. Instead, I opted to make one myself.
-
- Start small. With any DIY project, biting off more than you can chew will overwhelm you and stall your project. Find one simple idea that you like, and execute it. In this case, I started with a page, not a book.
I liked this flower idea — blossoms that button onto their stems. I am semi-respectable at crochet, so I began where I was comfortable and made up a pattern. I could just as easily have cut them out of felt.
- Start small. With any DIY project, biting off more than you can chew will overwhelm you and stall your project. Find one simple idea that you like, and execute it. In this case, I started with a page, not a book.
Use What You Have. Do not run out to the craft store and spend $300 on supplies for a project that may or may not work. Scrounge.-
- Don’t Overthink It.
The simpler, the better. Ten strands of yarn with beads on them — counting up to ten. Easy. This page became a jellyfish simply because I had a scrap of fabric that looked sort of jellyfishy to me. It’s all held to the background with hot melt glue.
- Don’t Overthink It.
-
- There’s No Rush. I started working on my kids’ quiet book when my oldest was about six months old. I managed to add a new page two or three times a year for a few years. My kids have been happy to play with this, regardless of how many (or how few) pages it had at any given time. Maybe we’re done now. Maybe I’ll add more later. The beauty is in the flexibility.
-
- Be Persistent. We’ve all seen the scores of “Pinterest fail” memes. Sometimes a project doesn’t work out. O well. Don’t let that deter you from trying again. Keep in mind that most of us are our own harshest critic, and if at first you don’t succeed, watch some more YouTube videos and try again.
Good luck!
Other page ideas from our book:
