This little Needle Book is the perfect place to keep your pins and needles-- with room for expansion :) It take only 15 minutes to make, tucks away easily in your tool kit and can be the perfect little gift for a friend! Hope you enjoy this fun craft that's super useful, enjoy!
1/ Pick a Color Scheme and Gather Supplies. You Will Need:
- One Piece of Vinyl, Leather or Non-Fraying Fabric
- Sheet of Felt (we'll cut three 3.5x5" rectangles from it)
- Button with Shank/Stem
- Two Pieces of 16" Thin Cord, Hemp or Ribbon
- 1 Bead
- Embroidery Thread
Tools Needed:
- Scissors
- Large Needle that fits cord
- Needle for Thread
- Alligator Clip
- Piercing Tool Optional
2/ Cut your vinyl to measure 4 x 5.5 inches. Cut felt into three rectangles measuring 3.5x5" each.
3/ Layer and center 3 felt pages on top of vinyl and clip 4 layers together along the right side.
4/ Thread your large needle with the colored cord.
A/ To begin sewing your spine, fold the vinyl/felt layers in half to find the center (another example). Then about a half inch from the top, poke the needle through from the back to the front.
Tip/ If you find it hard to pull the needle through, use a piercing tool to wide the hole a little bit. An even better solution-- use rubber fingertips to grip the needle while tugging.
B/ Complete the stitch, bringing the needle back to the inside, then tie the tails in a double or triple knot. Trim the short tail and continue stitching.
C+D/ Stitch 3 straight stitches, ending a half inch from the end.
5/ To tie off cord: From the inside, lace the cord under the last stitch, double knot it and trim the tail. Remove the alligator clip.
6/ Using embroidery thread and a small needle, stitch your button onto the front of your NeedleBook near the center along the right edge (1/2 inch in from edge). Stitch button till secure, then double knot and trim ends from the inside. See another example here.
7/ Now tie your second cord around the button and tie a few knots. Aim the knot along the button towards the center of the Needle Book so that the cord directs/wraps easily once finished.
8/ Guide your cord tail under the middle stitch of the spine, towards the back of the Needle Book.
9/ Fold your Needle Book along the stitching and wrap your cord around the button 3 times or so (this is how you hold the Needle Book closed).
10/ With the cord still wrapped around the book & button, tie a double knot 2 inches from the end of the cord (or wherever feels like a good place). Feed the bead onto the cord up to the knot then tie another double knot on the other side of the bead. Trim the cord tail so a short amount remains. My measures approximately 8inches long once I trimmed it.
You're done! Add a few needles and straight pins to the felt pages and you're ready to use it or give it as a fun little gift! :) xo, Leigh-Ann
