Thursday, February 10, 2011

needle book


Update: There is a pattern available for this now: the Flora Needle Book pattern, available for instant download at Etsy and Craftsy.



I was tired of being jealous of my daughter's needle book, so I took matters in my own (prematurely wrinkly) hands. It's made of felt and ribbon, with a string/button closure.



I thought I'd be smart and sew in little ridges to slip the needles through. They are staggered so it doesn't make a hump in the book. I'm not sure if it is worth the extra effort. I also thought about sewing in a little tuck in the pages to do the same thing, but didn't want it to run the entire length of the page and make it lumpy in the spine.

I also need a needle cushion. I often stick needles in my pin cushion while I'm working and this is not a good idea, because:
1) I somehow always manage to push them down inside.
2) I forget they are lurking in there and they skewer my finger when I squeeze the cushion in the wrong place.
I need to make a shallow cushion with something to stop the needles poking through in the bottom. Maybe an egg cup would make a good start. I have one I thrifted a while back.

In any case, I'm so glad I don't have to store my needles like this anymore:

Posted by Larissa Holland at 12:47 PM
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51 comments:

  1. amyFebruary 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    I love it! My needle book was given to me by a dear women from my church, but after seeing yours I think I may need to upgrade (or at least add another to my stash) to one with multiple "pages"!

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  2. Grandma GFebruary 10, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    That is fabulous! I WANT one!! :)

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  3. SuzieFebruary 10, 2011 at 2:00 PM

    That looks like an heirloom in the making!

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  4. sewmuchfun4February 10, 2011 at 2:10 PM

    This is AWESOME!!! I love the multiple pages and the ridges you stitched in because the needles won't show through to the other side of the page. I am not the neatest person in the world, but THAT would bother me! AND THE COVER IS SO CUTE - I MIGHT willingly sew buttons on my husband's shirt if I had one... maybe.

    :) Ann

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  5. Jessie WFebruary 10, 2011 at 2:11 PM

    Where do you get your felt? It looks so much nicer than anything I find in stores in my town. Also, might you consider selling this needle book in your etsy shop? I would buy one!

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  6. XorayFebruary 10, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    It's soo cute! It wants me to start making my own! (Won't turn out so nice as this one though I'm afraid ^_^)

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  7. ElliebooFebruary 10, 2011 at 3:07 PM

    ooooh that is seriously sweet - I would buy this on your etsy store too. Tres Cute

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  8. RubyFebruary 10, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    This is beautiful! It also gives me the idea that I should do one for my machine needles. As I move from 1 project to the next, I switch out my needle and then loose track of it. I could have a page for each needle size...stay tuned!

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    Replies
    1. D CNovember 18, 2015 at 1:18 PM

      GREAT idea! I need to make this and just incorperate the embroidery/sewing needles in there also!

      Delete
  9. LollyChopsFebruary 10, 2011 at 4:25 PM

    Utter cuteness!!!! I adore this to pieces!

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  10. Larissa HollandFebruary 10, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    Thanks, nice people!

    Jessie W, I don't buy it here in town. There's never a good selection. I buy it online. There are lots of great shops on etsy, but mostly I buy my wool-blend felt here:
    http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/12x18.html

    Ruby, great idea. Might need to dedicate one to that too. I also saw a needle cushion somewhere that had sections for each size. Where did I see that? aRgh.

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  11. Toñi BuendiaFebruary 10, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    LOvely your blog!! it's very nice!!! enhorabuena!!
    besos desde españa

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  12. lightbluegreyFebruary 10, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    suddenly I also need a needlebook... beautiful!

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  13. Luciana KajiuraFebruary 10, 2011 at 5:37 PM

    I love it!!!! Very very cute!!!
    Congratulations!
    Hugs, Luciana.

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  14. Sarah @ FairyFace DesignsFebruary 10, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Oh I love it, it's fab!! Might need to upgrade mine after seeing this!

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  15. Toñi BuendiaFebruary 10, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    lovely blog!!! enhorabuena, es precioso!!so cute!!
    besos desde españa

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  16. KatieFebruary 10, 2011 at 5:55 PM

    I really need to make myself a cute needlebook. I'd be embarrassed to show anyone how I keep my needles.

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  17. bruinbrFebruary 10, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    What a gorgeous needlebook! I suddenly feel the need to make one too!

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  18. MargretFebruary 10, 2011 at 8:43 PM

    aww, that is really cute.

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  19. Alison CastaldoFebruary 10, 2011 at 9:51 PM

    very cute! so detailed. :) the little ridges are genius.
    my own needle book isn't nearly as detailed, it takes quite a beating.

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  20. KatieFebruary 10, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    Another fab felt project :). I really need a more efficient way of storing my needles as well. I may just have to copy this one. Love the embellishments on the front and the ribbon spine and all. Such great details.

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  21. CaseyFebruary 11, 2011 at 12:14 AM

    it's beautiful! I need a needle book, all my needles are still in the package they came in

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  22. pinksuedeshoeFebruary 11, 2011 at 1:08 AM

    Sigh, so so pretty.

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  23. PaulandreFebruary 11, 2011 at 6:19 AM

    So cute! I loved it.

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  24. Olivia CraigFebruary 11, 2011 at 8:13 AM

    I love it. Very practical, yet oh so cute! It sounds like we have similar needle issues. I would love to get around to making one of these. As always, I love the design and use of colors!

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  25. Jennifer DeDonatoFebruary 11, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    I love making them. yours is super cute. great job.

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  26. Mama PeaFebruary 11, 2011 at 9:54 PM

    Everything you do is so over-the-top amazing. I really love it! You are my idol!

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  27. ShellyFebruary 12, 2011 at 4:48 PM

    Whatever creative block you might have had choosing colors for the holiday stockings, it is long gone now. This is adorable!

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  28. CatieFebruary 13, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    I've been perusing around your blog and I adore your style! (And sense of humor.) You've got a new follower! :)

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  29. SharonFebruary 13, 2011 at 11:01 PM

    Just found your blog through simple mom, I can see I'm going to need a lot of time to check this out-love it!

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  30. Larissa HollandFebruary 13, 2011 at 11:38 PM

    Aw, you guys! You always make my day with your comments.

    It's a bit crazy but I have three more needlebooks in the works. I'm putting them in the shop soon.

    Welcome to those of you who are new to the blog! I hope you leave here inspired to create!

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  31. RobynFebruary 14, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    That is beauuuuutiful, Larry. I am officially out shined. :) The flowers remind me a lot of that Japanese felt book I bought in NYC. I should have gotten you that one instead of the patchwork book. This is so, so pretty.

    BTW, you can add one of these to the birthday list, too. Love it!

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  32. CatalinaFebruary 15, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    Fantastic!
    I think you might enjoy my blog, actually, if for nothing else - ideas. You sure make some pretty things. :)

    http://the-w-s.blogspot.com/

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  33. Silvia LGD (Little Green Doll)February 17, 2011 at 3:38 AM

    Wow! I love it!! it's wonderful!! :)

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  34. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    super fantastic!!! love how you stitched the edges of the cover pages, such a great detail & finishing touch.

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  35. AmyJune 23, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    LOVE! I am going to make a bunch of these for gifties. Lovely!!!

    One of my favorite OCD things to do is to tear apart an old pin cushion (you know - when it is shedding sawdust everywhere) and pick out the needles. You wonder why you can never find a needle? They LIVE inside your pin cushion!

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  36. Ann ChristyAugust 29, 2011 at 4:05 PM

    I love the needlecase. It is really pretty.

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  37. Miss LaurieJune 24, 2012 at 3:38 PM

    These are just beautiful. To keep my needles from slipping into my pincushion, I put one of those little rubber french wire earring backs on the top end. It keeps it from slipping into the cushion and also protects my fingers from being poked.

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  38. weddedbeathDecember 4, 2012 at 1:53 AM

    These are lovely! will you be selling the patterns anytime soon?

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  39. DebApril 4, 2013 at 3:20 PM

    These are adorable!!

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  40. Larissa HollandApril 4, 2013 at 7:21 PM

    Thanks so much, everyone!

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  41. CharlotteFebruary 6, 2014 at 7:13 PM

    you're a genius!

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  42. loves2spinApril 24, 2014 at 10:35 AM

    For your needle cushion, you can use an old credit card. Make a little "pillow case" that just fits the card, but is open on one end and longer than the card. Slip the card in, put some poly stuffing in on top of the card and then stitch the open end closed, neatly. voila!

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  43. Ramona-quilterMay 11, 2015 at 8:53 PM

    I love this project as a gift idea for the quilting ladies at my church. I downloaded the pattern, ordered/received the wool felt from one of your resources and I am excited to get started. But I got hung up on Step 2, creating a template on cardstock.. I printed the needle book pattern on my basic inkjet. I saw the bolded line that stated "When printed at the correct size,this line measures 4 inches". Mine measures 3.75". And the line is also 3.75" when I measured the printed from the .pdf pattern that I downloaded. Should I expand the pattern first then put it on the cardstock still using the 4 inch standard?

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    Replies
    1. Larissa HollandMay 11, 2015 at 9:10 PM

      Hey, Ramona-quilter. Sounds like your printer is shrinking the template and pattern to fit the paper. Some printers do that automatically and it's annoying when it comes to patterns. Check the print settings. Make sure your printer is set to NO scaling, 100% actual size. Not 'fit to page' or any other setting that means it will adjust the size of the printout. If you have more questions it might be easier to contact me via email: me@larissaholland.com

      Delete
  44. Ramona-quilterMay 12, 2015 at 10:04 PM

    Larissa, you are so right. I unclicked fit to page and clicked actual size and I see that the bold line is now 4". But better than that, I had decided to start working on the flowers and now I see that those were also the smaller size. Sooooo glad you responded so quickly or I would have a bunch of unusable (to small) flowers for my needle books. Thank you for getting back to me so fast. I will start first thing tomorrow morning.

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    Replies
    1. Larissa HollandMay 13, 2015 at 8:53 AM

      Yay! I'm so glad you got the problem licked and before you wasted too much effort and material. Happy to help!

      Delete
  45. Ramona-quilterJune 17, 2015 at 3:08 PM

    I made 22 needle books - one for each member of the quilting group at my church. I gave them out today and they were thrilled with them.I really mixed up the colors so they could choose what suited them. And of course, I told them where to go to get the pattern for themselves. Thank you for helping me along the way, Larissa. I followed the link in your blog to flicker and posted a photo of some of the books on there. I also have a flicker account so not sure if it went to your page or mine. I'm rusty on flicker use.

    ReplyDelete
  46. UnknownSeptember 25, 2015 at 11:42 AM

    I know this is n old post but I make my pincushions using squat canning jars and keep the lid cushion to stop the needles from coming through. Your idea to make it more shallow is something I will employ in the future. Here's a link if you want to see what I've done. Thanks!! https://www.pinterest.com/paulmccoyjr/embroidery-by-maestro/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Larissa HollandSeptember 26, 2015 at 1:18 PM

      That's a great idea to use canning lids! Fantastic.

      Delete

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