Since the matroyshka needle kit was such a big hit, I thought it would be fun to go hunting for more fun little goodies for sewers & crafters!
Why not have fun with your sewing tools after all?
This teensy little sewing kit from Polly Danger Notions is tucked into a little tin – and comes complete with almost anything you need to do a repair on the fly.

How about adding some vintage needle cards to your collection?  These ones are from Lakeway Candles and come from several different countries:

Let’s face it – “frogging” is inevitable.  We all need to rip out …read more

Brooches can be a wonderful way to experiment with new techniques, try out different materials or even learn new embroidery stitches.

If you enjoy making brooches or pins, you’re definitely going to want to check out PieceWork Magazine’s “Excellence In Needlearts Awards “.  This year the theme piece is brooches .
“Entries will be judged by the editors of Magazine, and the winning entries and honorable mention pieces will be exhibited at The National NeedleArts Association’s (TNNA) June 2009 trade show in Columbus, Ohio. In addition, winning pieces will be pictured in a 2009 issue of and …read more

Do you ever find you have too many quilt books?  Even though you love to accumulate quilt and needlework books for fun, for learning, for new techniques, and for inspiration, there comes a time when you may decide you can’t keep them all.
This has happened to my daughter and me.  We have placed some in our yard sales over the years.  But with snow on the ground in New Hampshire, where we live, it’s no longer yard sale weather.  So we’re finding other ways to share our list of books.
Some quilters list their books on eBay or establish a shop at …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
I had the pleasure of writing a guest post, Do You Have a Heritage of Needlework, for Chloe at Tangled Thread. 
I think you’ll enjoy reading it.  Share with me, in the comments below, the needlework in your family or how needlework has influenced your life.
Also, why not journal about this…in a notebook, scrapbook, or online blog?  Then your family heritage will be preserved for future generations. 
(Amazon image)
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Quilted and appliqued Christmas ornaments add color and interest to your tree and your home during the holiday season.  You may want to make these yourself or find them at craft and Christmas shops.
Cathy, at the Tangled Thread  blog (www.tangledthread.com) features a number of Christmas ornaments you may want to make.  These include: a Yo-Yo Christmas Tree Stocking, Crazy Quilt Stocking, Christmas Countdown Calendar, and a Counted Cross Stitch Tree Skirt.  Simply browse down her blog for more information and where to find patterns and directions.
Creating Christmas and holiday ornaments and decorations with your youngsters can be a fun time.  …read more

Cathy Perkins mentioned QuiltingandPatchwork.com, in her blog, Tangled Thread (http://www.tangledthread.com/speaking-of-quilting/ . In her writing about needlework and other similar crafts, Cathy occaionally posts information concerning quilting.
There seems to be an interrelation among the fabric, fiber and thread arts.  For instance, in the previous post on this blog, I related how embroidery and cross stitch are incorporated into quilting. 
Some artists use thread for painting and embroidering exquisite pictures, to use as hangings or quilts.

The bedcoverings we refer to as quilts need not be solely patchwork or applique.  Some quilts are created from needlework panels or squares.  These are easy to tote projects you can work on away from home, while traveling, in a waiting room, in a car, at youngsters’ ball games.
You’ll find a multitude of designs…floral, pictorial, historical, Sunbonnet Sue, animals, state capitals and more…to embroider or do as cross stitch. I was browsing thorough a needlework catalog and came across so many interesting designs for quilts.
 When you’ve finished the desired number, sew them together with sashing, then select a batting and backing.  You …read more

“Charm Quilts” – I’d heard the name and wondered what they were.  They sound so fascinating.
Cathy Perkins in her Tangled Thread blog has an interesting post telling about the Charm Quilt her niece made and the origin of this type of quilt at  http://www.tangledthread.com/more-on-quilts/ .  There’s also a photo of her niece’s Charm Quilt on one of Cathy’s posts.
She explains that Charm Quilts generally contain a single shape…triangle, square, hexagon, diamond, or some other.  Also, no two pieces of fabric are the same pattern.  Quilters often trade fabrics to acquire the number they want.  Or they might select their fabrics from family clothing, …read more