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Thursday, May 30, 2013

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 . . .


11 comments:

  1. Are some of these going onto your items for sale page? I think they are wonderful!

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    1. I keep trying to decide if I should sell them - maybe I will add a few!

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  2. This is my absolute favorite thing for tatting, so handy, small e ought I fit in bag and cute! Thank you thank you, thank you!

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  3. I LOVE my needle case and have sewn Rachael’s #100 thread motif on the front of it. It is so cute!

    I did remove the velcro - I do not like velcro! I removed it from the little envelope as well... I find that I love the feel of the fabric without the harshness of the velcro. (I keep a satin ribbon around it to make sure it stays closed. Love the feel of the ribbon as well. : ))

    On the needle-case, I also cut the side of the flap, which stays put anyway... i will pst a pic of this on the next post on tat-ology so you know what I have done. Perfect for me.

    I cannot be trusted around a nice sharp pair of scissors... You should see what happened to the Boye shuttles I was trying to trade! I seemed to have solved the problem all by myself..snip snip!!!
    Fox : ))

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you were able to remove that velcro and customize how you wanted those - I'm interested to see what you mean about the flap. Maybe I should be leaving some of the needle keepers without velcro - I never thought about that. I just got on a roll and did everything the same way.

      Felt cuts easily with a nice sharp scissors, doesn't it? Not so sure about those Boye's though.

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  4. Thanks for the instructions! I'm sure I have some felt around here somewhere!

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  5. Lovely needle case and very clear instructions how to make one, lovely embellishments too
    Margaret

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  6. OOh, I do like your needle keeper. I'm sure they would sell well.

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  7. Your needle keeper is cute! I think if you turned that motif sideways, it would fit nicely and then both front and back would be decorated.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the idea - I didn't think about using the motif to cover BOTH the front and the back. I think I will do that!

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  8. This is a cute and useful idea for all the little tatted motifs.
    tatting regards
    Petra

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Thanks for your thoughts - I read and appreciate every one!