After the Christmas rush I started my sewing again when my son went back to school. Having had weeks of making Christmas decorations and Santa bags I felt like making something different!
I had a look through all my Cath Kidston books for inspiration however couldn’t really find anything I fancied making. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my ‘sew retro’ book by the author Judi Ketteler.
I love this book for it’s retro projects and also it’s history of sewing, fabric and fashion through the ages. I’ve previously made a few things from it including an apron and a popular farmers market bag! This time I discovered the ‘charming needlecase’ page and was hooked.
Apparently needlecases were very popular back in the day as needles were so expensive that women wanted to protect them and a made a case specially for them. From doing some research it turns out that the relics of bronze needlecases have been found from Viking sites! I believe the fabric needlecases really stem from the Victorian era.
Anyway, I decided on my material and gave it a go. Actually it was lovely to sew something different and there are so many combinations of front and lining fabric that you can choose from to make your needlecases stand out.
I chose a retro valentines pink fabric with a plain pink lining and pink ribbon. I loved it so much I have made quite a few more and it seems to be becoming rather an obsession!
I wonder if my needlecases will stand the test of time as plenty have from Victoriana!
Needless to say, all are available on my Etsy shop just follow the link at the top of the page!
Lizzy's Homemade 