I made a needle case featuring a new dressform stamp from Sin City Stamps!
I sew a lot, and I’ve been having more and more trouble getting my hand sewing needles in and out of the manufacturers’ packages. I’ve been thinking about making a needle case for a while now, but when I saw the new Antiques & Dressforms rubber stamp plate from Sin City Stamps, I knew it was time!
This plate has three different dressforms, corset lacing, a candelabra, a chandelier, a typewriter keyboard, a jumble of old fashioned keys, a strip of lace, the D for the Roman numerals set and several phrases.
The purpose of the needle case is to give you a place to park your needles, so they are protected and you know where they are. I have needles everywhere, stuck into little pieces of fabric. This is a bad idea if you have little ones or inquisitive kitties in your house.
The needle case is basically just a rectangle folded over like a book. You can add a closure if you want to keep little hands away from your needles. You want to choose a fabric that won’t harm your needles and that will keep your needles in place. So I would avoid burlap and satin, in general, for the inside. Otherwise, it’s pretty open. You can use as many layers as you like and any embellishments you like.
I had a three-layer rectangle already assembled, and I decided to use that. It was supposed to be a jar cozy, but one of the seams became crooked somehow, so it didn’t look right on the jar. I loved the fabric in it, though, so it was hanging out in my studio waiting to be used for something else.
You could make your needle case with one layer, but this works really well because there are several layers to grip the needles in place. If you want to make a really simple one-layer needle case, I recommend using a piece of wool or cotton batting.
I used one of the dressform images from the Antiques and Dressforms plate for the cover of my needle case. I stamped the image and the word “Needles” onto a piece of teadyed muslin. It helps to put a piece of craft foam under the fabric. I used Chalk Ink and heatset it with my iron after it dried.
I added some lace trim. First, I pinned it in place:
Then I stitched it down with my sewing machine.
Then I pinned the muslin piece in place onto the outside of my rectangle:
I attached the muslin piece to the rectangle with four mother of pearl buttons and some hand dyed embroidery floss. You can attach it any way you want. If my rectangle hadn’t already been assembled, I probably would have stitched the muslin down to the top layer before sewing together the rectangle pieces. That way the stitching wouldn’t show.
The finished needle case measures about 5.5 by 6.25 inches when closed (5.5 by 12.5 inches when open):
I hope you will try your hand at making a needle case! Please let me know if you have any questions!
Starshine Wishes,
Karen
