Introduction: Toddler Colour Book

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About: My husband calls me a Maker. My colleagues and students call me a great Creator from the kitchen. My family calls me Handy. My friends call me a great Innovator using upcyled materials. I call myself Lesa, I e…

I made this book for my two nieces who are under the age of two. I wanted to make them a colour book about Primary and Secondary colours. Because they are under two, I wanted to only included six colours. Black and White are not technically colours, so I am not including them in this project.

I wanted this colour book to have different textures, shades, durable and it needed to be washable. Other than the white felt, the coloured materials I used are scraps left over from other projects. I did not use a pattern when making this book. I just overlapped the coloured material to make a collage.

Supplies

  1. Sewing Machine
  2. Sewing Scissors
  3. Small Sewing Scissors
  4. Ruler
  5. Fabric Chalk Marker
  6. 2 meters of White Felt
  7. 5 to 6 different types of material with different textures and shades of one colour.
  8. Sewing thread in Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange and Purple.
  9. Bobbins in Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange and Purple
  10. Pin cushion
  11. Sewing straight pins
  12. Fabric Markers
  13. Coloured Felt for the title page's letters

Step 1: Cutting the Star of the Book: the Felt Pages

For this step you will need:

  1. Sewing Scissors
  2. White Felt
  3. Ruler
  4. Fabric chalk marker


  1. Unfold/roll your while felt onto your counter or ironing board.
  2. Measure out 7 inches by 7 inches. (See photo 2)
  3. Continue to measure out the whole fabric piece until you get 16 squares .
  4. Using your Sewing Scissors, cut out the squares.

Step 2: Let's Be Mellow and Sew With Yellow

For this step you will need:


  1. Sewing scissors
  2. Small Sewing scissors
  3. 2 white square felt pieces
  4. 5 to 6 different shades and textures of the colour yellow
  5. yellow thread
  6. Sewing Machine
  7. Sewing straight pins


  1. Using one felt square, arrange and cut the fabric so it does not hang over the edge of the square.
  2. Once you are happy with the layout, pin it in place.
  3. Now that your collage picture is complete, take your project to the sewing machine.
  4. Thread the machine using the yellow thread. If needed also make a bobbin.
  5. Sew the shapes, following all the lines.
  6. Take the second felt square and pin it on-top of your shapes.
  7. Before you sew, cut the excess felt off.
  8. So the corners lay flat you will need to cut the corners off.
  9. Sew along the edge of the square, leaving a space to turn the square inside out.
  10. When you turn the page inside out, using a thick wooden skewer to help push out the corners (Photo in Step 5 - Orange You Glad . . . )
  11. In order for the page to lay a little flatter, we need to sew along the edge. We are doing a partial French Seam.

Step 3: Purple Is Our First Secondary Colour.

For this step you will need:


  1. Sewing scissors
  2. Small Sewing scissors
  3. 2 white square felt pieces
  4. 5 to 6 different shades and textures of the colour purple
  5. Purple thread
  6. Sewing Machine
  7. Sewing straight pins


  1. Using one felt square, arrange and cut the fabric so it does not hang over the edge of the square.
  2. Once you are happy with the layout, pin it in place.
  3. Now that your collage picture is complete, take your project to the sewing machine.
  4. Thread the machine using the purple thread. If needed also make a bobbin.
  5. Sew the shapes, following all the lines.
  6. Take the second felt square and pin it on-top of your shapes.
  7. Before you sew, cut the excess felt off.
  8. So the corners lay flat you will need to cut the corners off.
  9. Sew along the edge of the square, leaving a space to turn the square inside out.
  10. When you turn the page inside out, using a thick wooden skewer to help push out the corners (Photo in Step 5 - Orange You Glad . . . )
  11. In order for the page to lay a little flatter, we need to sew along the edge. We are doing a partial French Seam.






Step 4: Don’t Be Blue…let’s Sew!

For this step you will need:


  1. Sewing scissors
  2. Small Sewing scissors
  3. 2 white square felt pieces
  4. 5 to 6 different shades and textures of the colour blue
  5. Blue thread
  6. Sewing Machine
  7. Sewing straight pins


  1. Using one felt square, arrange and cut the fabric so it does not hang over the edge of the square.
  2. Once you are happy with the layout, pin it in place.
  3. Now that your collage picture is complete, take your project to the sewing machine.
  4. Thread the machine using the blue thread. If needed also make a bobbin.
  5. Sew the shapes, following all the lines.
  6. Take the second felt square and pin it on-top of your shapes.
  7. Before you sew, cut the excess felt off.
  8. So the corners lay flat you will need to cut the corners off.
  9. Sew along the edge of the square, leaving a space to turn the square inside out.
  10. When you turn the page inside out, using a thick wooden skewer to help push out the corners (Photo in Step 5 - Orange You Glad . . . )
  11. In order for the page to lay a little flatter, we need to sew along the edge. We are doing a partial French Seam.

Step 5: Orange You Glad We Are Sewing the Last Secondary Colour?

For this step you will need:


  1. Sewing scissors
  2. Small Sewing scissors
  3. 2 white square felt pieces
  4. 5 to 6 different shades and textures of the colour orange
  5. orange thread
  6. Sewing Machine
  7. Sewing straight pins


  1. Using one felt square, arrange and cut the fabric so it does not hang over the edge of the square.
  2. Once you are happy with the layout, pin it in place.
  3. Now that your collage picture is complete, take your project to the sewing machine.
  4. Thread the machine using the orange thread. If needed also make a bobbin.
  5. Sew the shapes, following all the lines.
  6. Take the second felt square and pin it on-top of your shapes.
  7. Before you sew, cut the excess felt off.
  8. So the corners lay flat you will need to cut the corners off.
  9. Sew along the edge of the square, leaving a space to turn the square inside out.
  10. When you turn the page inside out, using a thick wooden skewer to help push out the corners.
  11. In order for the page to lay a little flatter, we need to sew along the edge. We are doing a partial French Seam.

Step 6: All the Other Colours Are Envious of the Secondary Colour Green.

For this step you will need:


  1. Sewing scissors
  2. Small Sewing scissors
  3. 2 white square felt pieces
  4. 5 to 6 different shades and textures of the colour Green
  5. Green thread
  6. Sewing Machine
  7. Sewing straight pins


  1. Using one felt square, arrange and cut the fabric so it does not hang over the edge of the square.
  2. Once you are happy with the layout, pin it in place.
  3. Now that your collage picture is complete, take your project to the sewing machine.
  4. Thread the machine using the green thread. If needed also make a bobbin.
  5. Sew the shapes, following all the lines.
  6. Take the second felt square and pin it on-top of your shapes.
  7. Before you sew, cut the excess felt off.
  8. So the corners lay flat you will need to cut the corners off.
  9. Sew along the edge of the square, leaving a space to turn the square inside out.
  10. When you turn the page inside out, using a thick wooden skewer to help push out the corners (Photo in Step 5 - Orange You Glad . . . )
  11. In order for the page to lay a little flatter, we need to sew along the edge. We are doing a partial French Seam.

Step 7: Although Red Is a Primary Colour It Is Hotter Than All the Other Colours!

For this step you will need:


  1. Sewing scissors
  2. Small Sewing scissors
  3. 2 white square felt pieces
  4. 5 to 6 different shades and textures of the colour Red
  5. Red thread
  6. Sewing Machine
  7. Sewing straight pins


  1. Using one felt square, arrange and cut the fabric so it does not hang over the edge of the square.
  2. Once you are happy with the layout, pin it in place.
  3. Now that your collage picture is complete, take your project to the sewing machine.
  4. Thread the machine using the red thread. If needed also make a bobbin.
  5. Sew the shapes, following all the lines.
  6. Take the second felt square and pin it on-top of your shapes.
  7. Before you sew, cut the excess felt off.
  8. So the corners lay flat you will need to cut the corners off.
  9. Sew along the edge of the square, leaving a space to turn the square inside out.
  10. When you turn the page inside out, using a thick wooden skewer to help push out the corners (Photo in Step 5 - Orange You Glad . . . )
  11. In order for the page to lay a little flatter, we need to sew along the edge. We are doing a partial French Seam.

Step 8: It All Begins at the Title Page

For this step you will need :

  1. Scrap paper
  2. Pen or Pencil
  3. 5 Different colours of felt such as, Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue and Green
  4. Ruler
  5. Larger Sewing Scissors
  6. 2 Pieces of White Felt. The same size as the other pages.
  7. Fabric Chalk
  8. Thread


  1. First, using a writing utensil and scrap paper, draw out the word Color in bubble letters.
  2. I used 1.5 inch letters however you may decide to use smaller or larger letters.
  3. Second, choose which colour you would like for each letter.
  4. Using the Fabric Chalk, make a square on your felt. Giving you a guide to draw out your letter.
  5. Cut out each letter and pin them to a white page.
  6. I choose to save time and not switch my thread with each letter change. You may choose to sew same colour, same felt colour.
  7. Once the letters are sewn on, you need to pin the pages together.
  8. Sew the pages, turn inside out. Top stich

Step 9: Before You Can Begin Sewing the Book, You Need to Go to the End!

For this step you will need:

  1. 2 white square felt pieces
  2. fabric markers
  3. white thread


  1. Lay one fabric page on top of the other, pin
  2. Sew the pages together.
  3. Do not need to turn the pages inside out because we are not sewing anything on the top of the page.
  4. My signature when I a make paper cards is (Made By Me). This is what I did for this book. However, you can end this book any way you would like to. Try: "The End" or "Made By".


Step 10: Let's Colour

You will need the sewn pages and Fabric Markers.

  1. Lay the book out, from start to end.
  2. Flip the first page over, it is blank. You need to write the colour word (Using the Fabric Markers) for each page as you go through the book.
  3. You need to let each page dry for 24 hours.

*Do a test of the fabric maker on scrap felt.

Step 11: Let's Sew a Book!

  1. We are going to sew this book from the outside in.
  2. Take the Title (Colour) page and the Last page.
  3. Clip together, sew.
  4. Purple page with the Orange page.
  5. Blue page and the Red page.
  6. Green and Green!
  7. Now that you did a single page, you will need to double up.
  8. Colour/End and Purple/Orange.
  9. Blue/Red and Green/Green
  10. Purple/Orange and Blue/Red

Step 12: The Completed Book Is Ready to Read and Share

Now the book is completed and ready to share. After all your hard work, take a moment and read what you have created for a special little toddler/child in your world.