I’m one of those mamas who wants to pass on my love of stitching to my daughters. So you can see why I almost did a backflip when my six-year old asked for an embroidery kit during a recent visit to a fabric shop.
The kit came with everything she needed to get started including needles, embroidery floss, and a hoop.
But one thing the kit did not include was a needle book.
So I stitched this one for her.
I used a tutorial by Amy at nanaCompany and made an I-spy patchwork version. Here’s what the back looks like.
Inside I stitched a pale blue piece of wool felt for the needles.
I did a few things differently than the tutorial. First, I added a layer of duck canvas, along with batting, to give the needle book a little extra firmness.
Second, I opted to machine quilt the needle book rather than hand quilting to give it another dimension of firmness and because my hand quilting skills are still under development!
I used the quilting to outline the squares and reinforce the binding.
The third thing I did differently is add a pocket to the inside of the needle book. I decided to add the pocket after I had already assembled the main part of the needle book. I didn’t want to take it apart and redo it so I stitched the pockets onto the inside of the needle book. If I were to do it over again, I would add the pockets to the lining before stitching the layers together and turning it inside out. The pockets will come in handy for storing my daughter’s scissors and needle threader.
I am thrilled with how this little needle book came out. And I think my daughter is too. Shortly after I gave her the needle book, she made me a thank you note. Inside she writes, “I love it!”
I’m hoping that her interest in embroidery will continue to grow over time and that she will get as much joy from stitching as I do.
Are you “raising stitchers”? If so, what are you doing to pass on your love of stitching to the next generation?
14 comments
This is so pretty!!
I love this and the pocket is a great idea.
It's just adorable Nicole! I don't have kids so I'm not raising any stitchers, but I know I loved sewing with my mum and my grandmothers when I was a kid. I'm sure your daughter will really appreciate time spent learning with you.
I had no idea this was what what the pictures on IG were! It's adorable. I have yet to make a needle book but I need one. I'm off to look at the tutorial. Ps. Your mods sound smart.
Very cute needle book. My girls are interested in sewing some-they like to make gifts for their friends; last year my oldest helped make zippered pouches for her 4 closest friends-patchwork and linen. They turned out great (I put the zipper in, but she did the rest).
So pretty. My 6 year old little girl is interested in sewing and loves to help. She has mentioned her own sewing machine a few times but I am torn because shes just too young for a basic (proper) machine in terms of safety, but the kiddie machines available here seem to be all toys and not capable of much at all and certainly not robust. Maybe I will start her on some embroidery instead.
This is so lovely! I adore all the I-spy elements, especially as I have many of those same fabrics. 🙂 My daughter started doing some simple embroidery when she was five years old, and then wanted to learn to quilt. She started with a doll quilt for the Samaritan's Purse shoeboxes as Christmastime. Then for her sixth birthday, I gave her some pre-cut squares for patchwork and some backing fabric, too (all leftovers from my stash). We've been working on that all year…. and now she'll turn 7 soon! We'd better finish! 🙂
Very very sweet! And my grandgirl – 3yo – likes to 'design' on the design wall with my scraps, so I'm sure before long we'll be sewing those scraps together!
Rosemary b here:
Sweet notebook.
there are so many stitching and embroidery adorable work books with designs now
Get her started on the little things. She can make them as gifts for her friends and those she loves.
She will have more incentive to complete things when they have a purpose or a destination.
Both of my girls learned to sew at 6 on the machine (I did at 8) and they loved the fast results.
when I was a kid, my mom had a box of old fabric scraps that we could use when ever we liked.
It is good to keep a box stocked with easy fabrics.
I love – absolutley adore the needle book, Nicole
I throw all my scraps in a plastic box for my daughter to play with. Right now she is making me a quilt. It's about 2 inches wide and 5 feet long.
Isn't that precious! I hope she carries on ; )
That is adorable love it !
Oh my goodness! This is too cute! I used this same tutorial to make one as a swap item last year for our quilt guild, and I didn't get a pic before I gave it away! I asked that person to take a pic or bring it in so I could get a pic, but that hasn't happened yet 🙁 My son is 25, and I used to cross stitch when he was little. He was so interested, so I bought him a big plastic needle and some plastic canvas so he could make his own creations. He has recently been quite interested in my stash and even made noises like he might make his own "Fancy Fox" quilt. We'll see….
Aww, so cute!
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