My boss told me I needed to get a life when she asked me what I was stitching one morning before work – a needlecase with different pages for different needles! Needless to say she’s not a sewer!
I’ve been thinking about this project for a while as I had two main pin cushions that my needles went on, but invariably when I tried to find a specific type of needle it would take forever. I wanted a pretty one of course, so I found a mini sampler by Anne of Les Petites Croix, she has lots of free patterns and this was one of them. I stitched it in different shades of purple. The evenweave is particularly pretty, I bought it at the Quilt Festival last year and it’s almost like a batik version of evenweave.
I was all set to make the needlecase last month, went to my sewing room but could I find it?!! It was playing hide and seek, so when it appeared a couple of weeks ago I moved it higher up my to do list, before I lost it again!! I found a square left over from a layer cake which matched perfectly for the outside, another fat quarter worked for the inside and I had just about enough purple felt to make the pages, I was all set.
I played about with a few trimmings, but eventually I decided to keep it simple with just a length of ricrac. I spray basted some batting to the back and did a simple quilting following the lines of the fabric. I stitched it to the lining, turned it and edge-stitched it. The basic book was made.
I’d thought for some time about how to label the pages, I listed the different needles; cross-stitch, quilting embroidery, beading, dressmaking and odds and sods, so six pages. I didn’t quite have enough felt for three double pages. I needed to do a bit of fudging! I cut two double pages and stitched them in down the middle.
I had already decided that rather than embroidering the needle type, I would embellish with something to represent it. I have a length of pieced quilt strips left over from my Down the Rabbit Hole quilt so I cut a piece and stitched it to the side of a piece of felt, making the page a little bigger, it still wasn’t quite big enough so I added a strip of the main purple fabric to effectively making a hinge. I stitched it in front of the double page spreads to make a fifth page. This one was for quilting needles.
I was originally planning to stitch some odd buttons for dressmaking, but when I pulled out my button box, I had a few sewing related buttons, perfect!
For the embroidery needle page I embroidered my initial in a simple backstitch…
On the cross-stitch page I found a scrap of evenweave linen and stitched my initials and the date, plus a few cross-stitches…
Beading was simple, just a selection of purple beads…
I had just enough felt left to add a square on the back cover, that way it didn’t matter that it was smaller than the other pages! It was for any needle that wouldn’t fit in, the odds and sods, like curved needles! I decided to use some odd buttons to attach it to the backing and I machine stitched a handmade tape along the bottom just to finish it.
I added the ribbon and button on the front and a large button the the back to twist round as a fastening. As you can see I’ve already transferred a lot of my needles over and it’s proving a success!
I’m linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, follow the link to see lots of inspiring hand sewing.
thecraftycreek 
Your needle book is fabulous! Love the sampler for the cover.
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Thanks Sue
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Your boss obviously doesn’t know much about you. You have more of a life than most people I know. This needle book is charming with all of its detail. You will get a lot of use of it.
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Thanks Lisa, I think she only sees the 2 days a week work side of me 🙂
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That’s a clever little case. I like your idea of how to separate the different kinds, I think I’ll steal that for my needle book!
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Thanks Kathy, you have my permission to steal 🙂
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Oh goodie!
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Those non-sewers just don’t understand! But I do! Great little project. I love how you labelled each page
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You’re right, she hasn’t got a clue 🙂 and thanks, glad you liked it.
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I love the way you create ‘sewing’ books. I think you have it in you to teach these. Maybe online?
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I’ll have a think on that one 🙂
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Love it, Margaret!
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Thanks Laura 🙂
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Oh that’s absolutely fabulous 😁. And such clever design with all the details. Lovely to read about those
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Thanks Bella, it worked out pretty well !
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What a lovely needlebook! You’ve incorporated some great ideas. Happy Stitching!
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Thanks Gretchen, I’m pleased with how it worked out.
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So pretty and beats the tin my packets of needles live in.
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Thanks, I’ve got to try and get organised somehow 🙂
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This is wonderful. I packets all over the place and usually have to search for what I want. It is so pretty and practical.
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I had packets and pincushions everywhere, now I’m sorted 🙂
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Beautiful needlebook! Love it!
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Thank you 🙂
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It’s just adorable and would make a great gift too!
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Thanks, I’m keeping this one 🙂
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Great needlebook!
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Thank you
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Your needle cover looks good. It’s not nerdy at all to be able to identify needles (so difficult). I’m making something similar for machine needles (print too small to read) but not, sadly, hand stitched like yours. Hopefully functional though (and pretty too)
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Such a pretty and functional needle case. Making one is my bucket list and has been for quite awhile.
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Thanks for linking up your creative idea!
I would love to be that organized with my needles!
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Your small projects always impress me!
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hope you told your boss you had a life lol and loads of blog followers who would be mightily impressed to see what you’re working on, even if she/he isn’t interested.
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I love this idea — I just stick the needles anywhere in the needlecase I made years ago, so they’re all jumbled together. I also found a bunch of random little completed stitcheries, so I think I’ll take a look and see if I could make them into a cover.
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