Charts, patterns and everything needlepoint
One of my good friends from college, Katsumi (whom I have lost touch with over the years), was responsible for my introduction to Japanese-style comics – way back before I’d heard of manga or anime. I thought they were pretty neato then, but I had no idea how popular anime would be come.
When I saw “My First Cross Stitch” which was based on an anime screenshot it brought back so many memories for me of my first manga, beans as dessert items, and sushi.
I have to admit that I am not at all careful when it comes to storing my needles for cross stitch, embroidery and hand sewing. Sometimes I will put them back in the package they came in, but just as often I’ll leave them on my desk when I’m done with them, leaving me with no real idea where my needles are when I need them.
The good news is there’s a crafty way to solve this problem and it’s making a needle book.
A needle book can be as simple as a piece of felt folded in half that you stick your needles in for storage, but of course we are crafters, so it’s likely we’re going to want to do a little bit more than that.
I came across a good tutorial from Crewel Ghoul recently that should give you some ideas for how to make and embellish your own needle book.
Hers is made with a couple of sheets of felt but the embellishment really makes it something special. She’s stitched on some ducks and flowers on the front cover, and inside the pockets are made from a vintage handkerchief and some lace, embellished with more stitching.
The outside is finished with blanket stitch and a button closure.
Of course you don’t have to make yours in the same way. You can use leftover bits of fabric in your stash, vintage elements, a favorite button. Use embroidery or cross stitch to decorate the front of the book, or make a collage out of fabric. You could embroider your initials or do a sampler of different stitches. Just whatever sounds fun to you!
Check out the post at Crewel Ghoul to see how it all comes together. Do you have a needle book? Did this inspire you to want to make one? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
[Photo: Crewel Ghoul]
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