NEEDLE-BOOK Piecing the needle-book
CUTTING OUT
1 From your fabric scraps cut:
■ Twelve (12) - 1½in squares$
■ One (1) – 1¼in x 4½in rectangle of fabric for spine
■ One (1) – 2in x 30in strip for binding$
■ One (1) – 2in x 3 in rectangle for tab
PIECING THE NEEDLE-BOOK
2 Piece the 1½in squares together in four rows of three, pressing seams to one side. Sew the rows together, nesting the seams. 3 Sew the 1½in x 4½in rectangle to the left edge of the nine-patch and press the seam away from the patchwork. This rectangle will form the spine of the needle-book.
4 Sew the 3½in x 4½in rectangle on to the spine piece and press the seam towards the centre (Fig E).
5 Make a quilt sandwich with the lining, batting and patchwork panel. Quilt as desired and trim away any excess batting (Fig F). Bind the edges as you would a quilt.
6 To make the tab, fold the 2in x 3in rectangle in half lengthwise RST and stitch along the long edge, leaving a 1in gap in the middle unstitched (Fig G).
7 Press the seam open and centred in the middle. Stitch across each of the short ends (Fig H).
8 Turn through the gap and poke out the corners. Hand stitch the opening closed.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
9 Centre the felt rectangle on top of the lining and pin in place. Flip the piece over and stitch a line down the centre of the spine piece. This secures the felt in place and also creates a break in the spine where the needle-book will fold (Fig I and Fig J). 10 Position the tab in the middle of the left hand edge of the exterior (with the needle-book opened out flat) and hand stitch in place (Fig K).
11 Apply the snap or Velcro in place, with one half on the end of the tab and one half on the front of the needle-book to finish.