A Needle Book Swap

I have never participated in a stitching swap of any description before in the land of blog. I have read posts by other gals who swap blocks and other stitching projects with  others from around the world and have always thought it would be fun to be involved in a swap of one kind or another.

So........I have decided to join in the fun of Amy's Needle Book swap, and.........I must admit I have had the best fun designing and stitching my li'l needle book.

With oodles of possibilities colliding around in my brainpan, I decided that I would stitch a cute li'l cottage. Kerrie, who is my swap partner, didn't stipulate what she wanted, only that she loved the colours purple and green, which suited me just fine as I lurve these two colours! Shades of purple, violet, mauve, lilac with a little green......perfect!!

Having drawn a  few sketches of what I wanted to create, and having selected a few fabrics and a few bits and bobs, the stitching began. There are a few house needle books on pinterest but I wanted to create something a li'l different.

My cute li'l cottage was mainly stitched using free hand machine stitching. The doors, the windows, the fused curtains, the trailing flowers and the wrought iron table are all stitched freehand. The front and back fabrics have a thick buckram sandwiched in between to give strength. I hand stitched with tiny stitches the front and back together, all around the perimeter of the house and the roof.

I fancied not only having a 'pretty-as-a-picture' front facade, I also wished the back of the cottage to look cute as well. After all, is there not a saying that goes something like...."back door friends are the best". We most certainly cannot have a boring and ordinary back now, can we......it's just unthinkable!! Besides, there is a pot of tea in readiness for those back door guests.

With the exterior of my li'l cottage  having been stitched and completed, I really wanted to have a whole lot of fun with the inside. The exterior looks like any other cute house needle book out there in cyberspace but the interior of my li'l cottage will be just a li'l avant garde.

Me being me, I  dreamt up an idea of designing and stitching an armoire as the gathering place for the needles and pins. After all, doesn't every li'l cottage, house a beautiful armoire or two within its walls!! Of course they do! I know there is the odd two or three (and more) armoires in my li'l humble abode stashed with a slew of stitching pretties.

So......I drew an armoire, cut the fabric and free hand machine stitched it to the backing fabric with a small piece of batting in between. I then used a small length of 'measuring tape' cotton ribbon as the shelves. Every self respecting armoire needs a babushka doll or two and a lovely tea cup to sit alongside the sewing paraphernalia. I then sewed two doors, with buckram between both sides and stitched them to the armoire. I love the spiffy, state of the art, chevron doors, they are a perfect match with the purple fabric of the armoire....mmm....very in vogue!!

Oh and of course, there is a small basket sitting alongside the armoire, filled with embroidered pretties just waiting to be transformed into a stitching 'lovely'.....oh and of course a pair of scissors peeking out, in readiness for a little fabric snipping!

Now that my lovely armoire is finished, sitting ever so prettily  in front of the polka dot fabric-lined wall, making a design statement, I decided that there needed to be an "oh-so-elegant" candelabra hanging from the ceiling. This would be a wonderful way of housing the pretty embroidery scissors that I wanted to include. I stitched a little pocket for the scissors, then free hand stitched the top of the candelabra continuing to stitch the pattern downwards.

Love it!! Me thinks that every self-respecting cottage needle book needs a gorgeous candelabra and an armoire....don't you??

I really, really had the best fun designing and stitching this li'l needle book. I wanted to make something a li'l different; a 'Kim original'. So, now it's en route, over land and sea, wrapped in an embroidered pretty and tied with a pretty purple and green polka dot ribbon.

 I do hope that the lovely Kerrie loves her unique needle book, just a li'l; adding a smile to her heart and day! I know my li'l cottage needle book added many a smile to my day!!