Monogrammed Needle Book Tutorial

I really enjoy doing needlework, so I made this cute needle book to add to my sewing kit. It is a perfect place to store my pins and needles for when I am traveling around with a project. Needle books can be a great gift for someone who enjoys sewing. They are fun, simple and easy to make and you can use ends of fabric and embellishments. Here is how you can make your own needle book.

Supplies
Thread
6" x 12" Outer Fabric
6" x 12" Inner Fabric
2 ½" x 2 ½" Fabric (monogrammed patch)
6" x 12" Batting (optional)
9 ½" x 4 ½" Felt
9 x 4" Felt
Fabric Marker or Fabric Chalk
Ruler
Embroidery Floss
Embroidery Needle
Buttons
Ribbon
Embellishments
Scissors
Pinking Shears (optional)

Instructions
Step 1
Use a ruler and fabric marker or fabric chalk to draw lines 1" apart on the outer fabric of your needle book. Then stitch along the lines with decorative stitches or attach ribbon and other embellishments. Press the fabric on the wrong side with a suitable heat setting.

I drew eleven lines on my fabric and I then used several decorative stitches from my sewing machine in different colour threads. I selected colours that coordinates with the colours on the inner fabric. In the middle, I used cotton eyelet ribbon piped with a pink satin ribbon. I also did some couching with pink cotton yarn and a zig zag stitch and I added a decorative stitch over pink velvet ribbon.

Step 2
Use a top stitch to attach your 2 ½" square piece of fabric onto the outer fabric of your needle book in the desired position. Leave room for a ½" seam allowance.

Using a fabric marker or fabric chalk, in your best handwriting write your initial on the 2 ½" square piece of fabric. Chain stitch the outline and fill in your letter with embroidery floss. I used three strands of embroidery floss and knotted the ends together, which made for a six strand embroidery stitch. For a finer look, try using two strands with a single knot. I stitched my patch on the lower right hand side and then I later embellished with some buttons.

Step 3
With right sides facing each other, sew the outer and inner fabric pieces together at ½" seam allowance leaving a 1 ½" minimum opening along one side. Trim corners and turn right side out. Then press for a crisp edge and top stitch ¼" around the outer edge.

Step 4
Attach ribbon, buttons or other embellishments to your felt pieces. You can also use a pinking shears and trim around the edges of the felt (optional).

Step 5
Place the layers of felt on the inside of your needle book and stitch down the center of the book to create pages. I only used two sheets of felt; however, you can add additional pieces of felt to make a fuller book.

Step 6
Now place your pins and needles in your new needle book.

Tips!

• For a quilted cover you can add batting between the layers of your cover. Sew the batting onto your outer or inner fabric at a ¼" from the edge, then follow "Step 3."
• To add a closure for your needle book, you can use ribbon, snap or a button with elastic cord. Sew ribbon or elastic cord into the seam during "Step 3." Place the ribbon or looped elastic cord between the outer and inner fabric facing the center of the book with the edges along the edge of the fabric.
• If you are adding a snap closure, you may need to make the felt pages smaller. Follow the package instructions to attach the snap.

Front

Back View

Side View

A needle book can be a fun addition to your sewing kit. The monogrammed patch is a great personal touch especially if you are giving your needle book as a gift. You can have fun playing with different stitches on your sewing machine or add a variety of cute embellishments. This project was done using a sewing machine, but will also be great with hand sewing and hand embroidered details.

Happy stitching!

Changes at Crafted Spaces

Happy New Year! I hope that the start of the New Year has been great for you guys. It has been super busy at Crafted Spaces and we are very excited about the year ahead. As you know we moved into our new studio at the end of last summer and officially opened the doors in September. Since opening our focus has been on making our classes run seamlessly, and providing a broader selection of classes. So far the transition has been great and there are lots planned for the coming year. Most of our classes are held at our new creative workspace, however in the spring and summer we will be hosting a select number of classes at the home studio. Class sizes are still being kept small and there is lots of space for everyone.

Studio Hours
We have changed our studio hours and have posted the new hours on the side bar of the blog. The new hours are also listed on our Facebook page and will be updated on all other locations that they are currently listed. The start of the year has been really busy, so we have had a few irregular days which we hope has not of any great inconvenience to visitors. If we missed your visit, please accept our apologies. Every attempt is made to have the doors open during the listed times however if there is a change we will post on our Facebook wall, which you can access even without a Facebook account. If you will like to ensure that someone is present for your visit, we are pleased to schedule an appointment.

New Classes and Guest Instructors
There are several new classes being offered this year. Most of the classes are being taught by myself; however, a guest instructor will teach some of the classes. If you will like any additional information about our guest instructors, please contact us for more details. If you are interested in teaching a class just let us know. We are open to new classes and welcome guest instructors.

At the end of last year we introduced our knitting classes and now have available several fun knitting classes for you to try. Our knitting instructor is Janet Westall and she brings with her many years of knitting experience. Our knitting classes include; knitting basics, beginner knitting, arm knitting and sock knitting. If you are interested in attending any of these classes visit our online registration page or contact us for more information.

Upcoming Website
We are working on a new website. We hope to have the new site lunched for spring and I am personally excited about the new look and functionality of the site. We hope that the new website will deliver an improved customer experience and will be a great platform for Crafted Spaces. We will introduce several new classes focused on Jewellery Making, Paper Crafts, DIY Weddings and the development of Your Creative Business.

What’s Next?
Some of the other things we are working on includes; relaunching Crafted Spaces Radio, providing a broader selection of creative books, craft supplies, sewing kits and a larger selection of handmade gift items. We are also introducing some new products that will be available exclusively at Crafted Spaces.

If you are a designer, crafter, maker or artist and you will like to include your work for sale at our studio, please contact us. Also, if you will like to submit a proposal for a new class or a short series, please provide details about yourself and the proposed class. This year we are also expanding our blog post and will like to share more profiles, so send us your information for an opportunity to be featured on our Crafted Spaces blog.

We will also like to hear from you. What do you like about our classes, blog or social media post? What will you like to see us do more of? Are there any classes you will like us to include in our schedule? We look forward to receiving your commends and suggestions.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!