I put this needle book project together to celebrate Broken Needle Day on February 8.
What is Broken Needle Day?
If you’ve never heard of Broken Needle Day it sounds a bit odd, I know, but really it’s a lovely idea.
It’s a day set aside for women to take these humble little tools that we do so much with, and NOTICE them. And while we are at it, its a time to notice all the other small domestic tools that do so much in our lives.
In Japan of Feb. 8 women do still take their broken and bent needles to shrines where they will place them in cakes made of tofu to let them have a soft resting place after their hard service.
Directions for making my songbird needle book:
1. Cut one each of outer fabric, quilt batting, inner fabric. I cut mine 7″ x 9″ to end up with a book 4″ x 6″
2. To sew the three layers together, first sandwich the layers together with the quilt batting on the bottom, and the inner and outer fabrics with right sides together on top of it. Stitch around the edges, leaving an opening in one side to turn the project right side out.
Turn right side out. Press and stitch opening closed. Top stitch around the edges, and down the center fold.
This is the outside. I used a songbird print on linen/cotton fabric to make this book. Because the print fabric area was 7″ x 5″ I sewed another piece of linen to it.
This song bird fabric is available for sale on our website. You can also find the linen/cotton fabric and hand dyed wool for this project there.
3. On the inside of this book I used two bag closure magnets to make a “patch” that will grab and hold my scissors or needles. To do this you will need a piece of heavy fabric about 1″ x 2″ (or reinforce lighter fabric with stiff interfacing)
Use a pen to make a mark through the holes in the backing plates for the magnets.
Make tiny cuts where your marks are and insert the legs of the magnets through them. Put the circle part over the legs and bend them back firmly.
The finished magnet strip.
4. Place the magnet strip where you want it to be, then cover it with decorative fabric. Stitch in place.
5. That’s it really. Put your needles in their new home and enjoy your good work!
Nice!