Scrappy Projects Presents: A Needle Book

By Sarah

A needle book serves as a home for all your favorite hand sewing needles and doubles as a travel case for trips that may lend themselves to a bit of hand-stitching bliss. I whipped this one up real quick using some old fabric scraps that were collecting under my cutting table. To make: Along with a few scraps of woven fabric you will need felt for the pages, interfacing (depending on the stiffness of your scraps) and closure of some sort.  

The cover of this one was cut at 8.5" x 5". Of this size cut one outer and one lining piece. Interface if necessary, to make the cover nice and sturdy.  The felt pages were cut a 6" x 3.75". Cut as many as you think you will want or need. Then make a tab to accommodate your chosen closure. Sew the cover just like you were to sew a pillow (with right sides together) except you will insert the tab into the appropriate side seam and leave an unsewn section of about 3" somewhere along the perimeter. Clip your corners and turn the cover right side out through the opening and give it a press. Stitch up the opening by hand. Then stack up the felt pages in the middle of the cover and stitch down the middle. Sew your button/closure on. (The process may change depending on the closure system you decide on) That's it! It would make a great easy gift. Or expand upon this cloth book idea and make a soft book for baby with appliquéd felt letters or animals inside, and make it a little bigger, of course.  

If you wish to carry some small scissors with your needles then add some sort of sheath (I used a piece of vinyl) or holder to encase your particular style of snips.   

Vintage lion button, from my button stash. Happy stitching, y'all!