Needlekeep / Needles Etui / Pop-up Pinkeep

I got an interesting email today from a wonderful stitcher.:) Check out Anne Marie's Blog to know what I'm talking about... while there, check out her "Sewing Case" entry and you'll find that she already started the "Summer Flowers Sewing Set", my design currently featured at TGOSM... you'll be oohhhh-ing and ahhh-ing as well once you see her other works. She's so talented. Also, I would like to encourage you to read the comments on the Sewing Case & at the next entry about needles etui... very interesting! (for me they are... hehe)

I wanna thank Anne Marie for trying her hands on the sewing case finishing. It's coming along well and I can't wait to see the finished piece.

Anyway, back to the reason why she e-mailed me, it's about the needles etui... which I also called last year needlekeep, pinkeep, pop-up pinkeep, etc. I'm pretty sure I shared this finishing to some e-stitching groups last year... one of which is NNC and to some e-stitching friends from TGOSM. You will also find finished pieces at my Gallery of Smalls at webshots under "2007 Sewing Accessories" album.

Needlekeeps / Needles Etuis I stitched on July 2007

As far as I remember, the first photo is my first finishing using this technique on June or July 2007. The second photo is a design by LHN featured at TGOSM early last year, but instead of finishing it into a pinkeep as their model, I finished it into a needlekeep on July 2007... Whenever I try a new finishing that I learned (or experiment), I keep on practicing it till I get what I want... not that I make the finishing perfect but I make it a lot better than the first time. You will notice that the first one is not as presentable as the next ones. I made a lot of experiment on this finishing.. from using linen as lining to using a cotton coordinating fabric (for the inside). I also made a lot of trials on stiffener... from fusible interfacing & thin batting to wool felt to stick-on felt to skirtex. At any rate, all these finishings are 100% by hand, no sewing machine involved.

After completing and/or finishing about 5 to 10 pieces, I can then conclude which one I'll gonna hold on to and strongly recommend to whoever ask.

Early this year, around February, I stitched and finish some with variations. From needlekeep, I made them into "POP-UP PINKEEPS". Please see the photo below. All the four pieces have attached pincushion/pinkeep inside, hence the name "pop-up pinkeep" was born. I started blogging early this year, so you can check them out at my February or March 2008 entries.:)

Pop-up Pinkeeps stitched on February 2008

Variations: ribbon, crocheted and beaded ties

My recommendations: linings or inside fabrics could be linen, aida or coordinating cotton. To me, the result is just the same. Though I strongly recommend that when you attach the cotton fabric inside, make sure every corner is 90 degrees and allowance at all edges is the same. As for the stiffener, I strongly recommend skirtex. I have to admit, skirtex is something I can't live without now. With so much 3-dimensional needlework finishings that I do, it always comes handy and very very useful.

Per Anne Marie's email:) "Beyond the oceans embroiderers' ideas cross themselves." I totally agree with that. Even with new finishing techniques that I learned as a result from my experiments, I always tell myself, somebody might have done it.:)

Anyways, I'm cooking up new kind of finishings... With these 2, I really hope they didn't exist yet... lol I will post the photos soon once I get them finalized. Though they're already finished, I had re-stitched the designs to try other method of finishing.

Happy stitching to all!

Update as of August 9th: Thanks Anne-Marie for teaching me how to leave a comment on your blog.:)