Made for the FanCraftic: Childhood Storybook Character Contest

Full view is recommended, but not for dial-up as the file is large.

Full Title: The Monster at the End of This Book

I took a bunch of photos that showed the project off fairly well. I then proceeded to have fun posing my little Grover figure. In the end, I think they show the project off almost as well as the original photos, so I'm using them for my deviation. I've posted some detail shots in my scraps. [link]

When I read the news article FanCraftic Contest: Childhood Storybook Characters [link] I thought that it might be something fun to try. But I was stumped for my "favorite characters from children's storybooks". I couldn't think of any.

I figured I'd go with some classic storybook character. But even then I had trouble thinking of anything. I did an internet search on classic storybook characters. Nothing jumped out. I searched children's storybook characters. Still nothing. So I flipped through the children's books category at amazon.com. Nothing stood out, but I kept coming across the "Big Little Golden Book" called, The Monster at the End of This Book Starring Lovable, Furry, Old Grover.

I remembered this book. Was it a favorite? I couldn't remember. I ended asking my mother if I had any favorite storybooks as a child. She said I loved books in general. Always wanting to read/be read to, but she couldn't think of anything in particular.

I mentioned to her that I had come across The Monster at the End of This Book in my searches. She said that it was in fact one she had to read to me over and over, and that I had always loved Grover. (Still do )

So I had my book, now for a craft. Well, while trying to come up with a book/character, the P.I.T.A.s visited. They had the idea of making a box that looked like a book and putting something with the character inside. Now that I knew I would use Grover and Monster I decided I'd make a plushie Grover to put in the box, and would make pages representing pages from the book. (For those unfamiliar with the book, Grover tries to stop the reader from reaching the end of the book.)

Now the trouble with P.I.T.A.s is that while they often bring ideas... they rarely bring instruction manuals. So while I had some idea of how I wanted to do things, a lot of the book/box had to be figured out. Having completed the project there are things I would have done differently, but not having the experience in the first place, I didn't know better at the time.

I didn't end up with a plushie Grover. I decided it would be too difficult to attempt making one small enough for the book.

Still here? Okay... here's the materials list.

Materials:

Grover

Blue pompoms (7 - varying sizes)
Blue chenille stems (pipe cleaners to me... chenille stems to the packaging - 2, folded in half and twisted upon themselves - one for arms, one for legs)
Pink/Purple pompom (1 - for nose)
White felt (eyes)
Black felt (mouth)
Red felt (lower lip)
Black fabric marker (to mark pupils)
Invisible thread (to sew body, head, and legs together)
Elmer's Glue-All (to attach felt to pompoms and to attach "hands" and "feet" to chenille stems)

Book/Box

Plastic canvas (front and back covers, and sides (only three) of book/box)
Six-strand embroidery floss (used to "sew" sides to back cover)
Felt. Lots of felt. Tan, white, goldenrod, and pink (I thought pink would offset Grover nicely, and I didn't have a large enough piece of white to line the book with)
Stiffened Felt in white (used as part of each page)
Men's undershirt (destined for the rag pile - used with T-shirt transfer to make quotes and title)
T-shirt transfer (used with undershirt to make quotes and title)
Yellow Pearl Cotton (used for "rope" page)
Balsa wood strip (used for "lumber and nails" page)
Mini brads (used for cover and "lumber and nails" page - they actually go through the wood and felt!)
Fabric with brick pattern (used for "brick" page)
Steam-a-Seam 2 (might have been the lite version - used with fabric for "brick" page)
White all purpose thread (to machine sew white felt to white stiffened felt)
Invisible thread (to stitch front and back covers to plastic canvas)
Elmer's Glue-All (Glued inner cover and side "pages" to plastic canvas; spine binding to covers, and for gluing the quotes & title to felt)

Book measures approximately 8 inches tall, 7 inches wide, and 2.75 inches "deep".

Those unfamiliar with the book may be interested in seeing the book. I have The Little Golden Book copy from when I was child, but you can see parts of the Jellybean Books (R) edition via the Amazon Online Reader.

[link] (Click on "Look inside this book" below the book's image.)

The pages shown as the excerpt are where I get the quotes on the first page of my "book."

I took some photos of my project next to my copy of the inspiring book. [link]