Make a Needle Keeper

My little needle case has turned out to be the handiest little accessory to my tatting, embroidery, sewing, etc. It's a nice, small size to plop in any project bag, and yet be able to find the darn thing.  I like to decorate the cover with a little tatting - originally I did this to cover up the stitching from adding the velcro, but if you use the fusible velcro there isn't anything to cover up.

Since I like it so much, I decided to make several to keep on hand for gifting as well as for myself to have a few to scatter around the house.  It's such a simple, handy little thing to make that I thought I'd share the way I do it.  They could be any size, but this is what I find to be the size I like best.

1)  From a 9 x 12 sheet of felt, I cut a piece about 2-3/4" wide by the shortest dimension (9").  I didn't realize that the felt sheets were so different - some are nice and thick, and some are fairly thin.  Doesn't really matter, but the thicker ones just seem nicer.

2) Fold from the bottom up about 1-1/2"

3) Make an accordion fold underneath that first 1-1/2" fold and pin through all layers.

4)  Stitch close to the edge through all layers where there are 2 folds (what I would call the 'bottom').

5)  Then open the folds and turn so you can stitch the other side that has just one fold.

6)  Then, I fold down the 'cover' to see how long it needs to be.  Since the first fold was 1-1/2" up from the bottom, the cover usually needs to be about 1-1/2".  Sometimes it needs to be a smidge longer if the felt is thick.

7)  I like the case to close, so I add velcro. Sometimes I've stitched it on, but the iron-on velcro seems to work just as well.

Simple, quick and easy, handy dandy little accessory :)  I don't remember what gave me the idea to do this, but something online somewhere in my web surfing experience.  There are endless ways to decorate the cover, but thinking about what I COULD do gives me a headache.  I just like the idea of a little tatting without spending too much time thinking about it.

Now if I would just learn to think ahead about the size of the motif I want to put on the cover.  Oopsie.  I loved the shape of this Jan Stawasz Mirror motif, and thought that the beautiful Blue River Glades Lizbeth matched this needle case just perfect!  

I should've had size 40 thread instead of size 20 . . .