False starts and needlepoint

A bit of a frustrating morning. I was attempting to make coin purses with the idea of selling them at a craft fair, but I couldn't get them quite right. My efforts were too clumsy, and I doubted anyone would part with their hard-earned cash for them. Also, they looked ... dull. Nothing original about them at all. I gave up in the end. I seem to be having false starts with a number of crafty things right now. But that's the way it goes sometimes. So I accept it and move on ...

I did get this finished today. It's a needlepoint needle-case, and no, your eyes don't deceive you, I have used a boot lace as a fastening for it! Waste not, want not. The needlepoint was originally going to be a spectacle case, but if you've ever tried needlepoint you'll know how easy it is for the canvas to become distorted during the stitching process. Sometimes you can 'block' the stitched canvas, ie: dampen it and stretch it back into shape. But this piece defied my attempts to pull it back into a precise rectangle. So a spectacle case wasn't a suitable use for it as the distortion was too obvious. Instead, it's become a needle-case.

The fishy pattern is one I came up with myself, and I've used it on various cushion covers.

I lined the canvas with felt, and blanket-stitched together two squares of felt to add 'pages'.

There are plenty of places to put your needles and pins.

Plus, a pocket to put your scissors in, or maybe your unpicker or fabric marker pen. The whole needle-case turned out really well. It's a pleasing size to hold in your hand, and I could easily add a couple more pages if needed. Even add labels to indicate where I've placed tapestry needles, sharps, chenille needles, etc.

I think I'll have to make another one! Though I might try putting the next rectangle of canvas in a frame, even though they do make stitching less portable.

Any other keen needlepointers out there? Do you always stitch with a frame? Or can't abide them? I'd be interested to know if you have better success with blocking canvasses that I do.

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