I will start today’s post with a sad story that ended up ok. I promise!
A few years back, when my Shih-tzu Rosie was just a puppy she was a trouble maker.

(Rosie on the left, Frankie on the right. We walked them to the Snow Cone stand where they shared a Doggie t-bone flavored snow cone.)
I was also a totally irresponsible person and left a threaded embroidery needle on the couch without thinking. DUMB! Rosie ate the needle and it thankfully passed through her whole digestive system where it got stuck at the (ahem) very end. I cannot tell you the guilt that I felt but I was also so thankful that she ended up not needing surgery. After a doggie emergency room visit, $600 and a week of antibiotics just to make sure she was as good as new. Do not be as foolish as I was, we were very lucky.
After that incident, I made a needle book so I would keep my needles all in one place. I am very, very good about taking a needle out and then putting it back the second I am done. The thought of hurting my baby girl again sickens me.
Here is the needle book I made a few years back.

I used cheap acrylic felt and a daisy t-shirt iron on. The felt melted a little bit when I applied the daisy.
It was never very pretty and it didn’t wear very well. It totally did serve it’s purpose though.
Last week, I broke out my secret stash of vintage sheets that I bought months ago and started piecing bits together to make this, my new needle book.

I made the cover just like I would a mini quilt. I pieced the strips together, sandwiched the layers, quilted and bound the edges. Easy and a great beginners quilting project.
Here’s the inside:

I used felt again but used an 80% wool/20% acrylic blend for the “pages”. I like to used darker color felt because it’s easier to see the needles in the pages. The closure is a basic purse closure that I got at Joann’s.
I bound the needle book together with the grommets. This was my first time using grommets, they are a total bitch to work with. Seriously, my fingers were sore after the whole thing and punching holes into the book was scary. What if I made a mistake and ruined it? Thankfully I didn’t and the grommets were well worth that hassle as they do a great job of holding everything together.
To finish the look of the book, I made another Kanzashi and decorated it with a vintage button purchased from my favorite, local antique store.
Cute and functional, LOVE IT!
(I would like to take a moment to explain that we’re still learning about our fancy new camera and cannot seem to master the white balance. It’s like looking at the world through rose colored glasses, right?)

















