Keeping Your Needles Safe
Thursday, February 24, 2011In the last blog I talked about needle selection, and today, I’ll show you some ideas for protecting your needles, and keeping them organized.
The Needle Case, Needle Book, Pin Case, Needle Keeper and small decorative case called an Etui (pronounced et-wee) have been in use for centuries to store precious sewing needles, and many local and national museums feature beautiful examples of these necessities.
Needle keepers such as this fan-shaped Needle Organizer from DMC helps you organize your needles by type or size, and the Needle Case from our Vintage Collection can keep your needles safe and handy on a ribbon or chatelaine.
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It’s also fun to make your own!
Here are some sites featuring free patterns for needle books and needle cases, using a variety of materials and techniques.
Kelly Rachel featured a free pattern for her Little Letter Needlecase, along with tutorial for assembling the case. The adorable embroidered stamp can be personalized, as can the address line.
You can craft an adorable felt Strawberry Needle Case from the pattern at Monica Solorio-Snow’s Happy Zombie blog. Applique the leaves and finish the edges in blanket stitch, and embroider the seeds in French knots.
A beautiful cross stitch Geisha Needle Book, with tutorial is available at Meari’s Musings. I love the use of metallic threads and the braid trim!
Stitch a Heart-Shaped Pin Case from Renee at Goosie Girl’s blog. This felt case folds and holds a multitude of needles, pins and other necessities.
For quilter’s this Hexagonal Needle Book from the My three Sons blog spot is sure to please.
You might also want to check out this hip Needle Clutch designed by Sharon Jankowicz and Kristin Jankowicz-Schrock that we featured on a previous blog!
~Emma
Just curious: is felt the best fabric to use for holding the needles? I keep reading about acid free this and that. What about some kind of wool with the natural lanolin in it? Good or bad?
Wool is an excellent choice, as it contains a natural lubricant. Wool felt is even better, if you can find it.
The main reasons for choosing felt is that it is not a true woven (prone to stretching or fibers separating), and it is dense so that the needles don’t slip out and get lost.
Thanks for featuring my needlebook!
You’re very welcome – it’s so pretty! ~Emma