Needlebook SAL - How many do you need?

Hello friends, and welcome back...my blogging has been getting a bit more sporadic lately, but I've certainly not been idle!I'm back today to talk about some of us stitchers most important possessions...our needles, and where we store them.A needlebook, or a needlecase (which is somewhere safe and handy to store needles and pins) is certainly not a new idea, but is seeing a bit of a revival as the craze for slow stitching is gradually catching on. If you want somewhere useful and stylish to keep those sharp things safe, one of these comes in very handy, especially if you're travelling with a project and want to stitch on the go.The very sweet Mary of @sunnydaysupply had the sweet idea to host a needlebook sew-along through the middle two weeks of this month (July), and if you're following the hashtag over on Instagram, you'll find a host of inspiration there! I've made a range of needlebooks over the years, but mostly have given them away. It's time for an update!

I like to have several needlebooks in use to keep me organised, depending on what project I'm working on. This one is an itty bitty one, measuring just 1.5" x 2". It's perfect for keeping a couple of needles safe and ready when you need them. This is what I use when sewing on a button, or some other quickie project.

This is incredibly quick to make from a scrap of batting, and some other small fabric scraps. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I raid my overflowing scrap bin, and find lots of gems perfect for what I have in mind. Have fun embellishing with some fussy cuts if you wish. The sky's the limit really, and who wouldn't like to open this up to find something even cuter inside!

But of course, if the project you're working on is a bit larger, and maybe needing several different needles, and you'd like to incorporate your scissors and thread easy to hand, then maybe you'd be better suited to a bigger needlebook. This one is 4.5" square, and has a mini sewing storage kit inside.

There are three pages of felt for different needles, a pocket for scissors, and even a box pleat pocket for threads and maybe a thimble, all held together with a magnetic snap.

This top page has an extra pleat sewn into it, and idea I've borrowed from my clever friend Larisa. You should certainly check out her cute tutorial!

I had a lot of fun embellishing these pages, and fussy cut the 'buy handmade' from this cute Tasha Noel print. Because everybody should buy handmade of course!

Adding a box pleat to the pocket is another cute feature that means you can fit a lot more in!

The back received some extra handquilting details, and I'm really loving the pops of black stitching with the cool romantic tiny florals. More kudos to Mary for this inspiration. She is my handquilting hero!So how many needlebooks do you need? Well as many as you want I guess! They are so addictive to make!This design has been added to my growing pattern writing pile! Making is the fun part, pattern writing is not!