[ Tutorial ] - "Needle Minder"

Here it is! This is a "Needle Minder" tutorial as I promised to post.
I hope this would be helpful and useful when you make "Needle Minder" by yourself!
It's really easy, so anyone can make, I believe! Let's try to make!

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Gather all the needed supplies to assemble a "Needle Minder" :


1. Jam Jar Lid

2. (Super) glue
3. Scissors
4. Double-stick Tape (both sides sticky tape ?)
5. SUPER Magnet (I highly recommend SUPER one, I found them at the "Tole Paint" stuffs counter at craft shop.)
6. Quilt Batting
7. Stitched Piece
8. Backing Fabric
9. Ribbon or Braid

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Step One :

Spread glue inside bottom of Jam Jar Lid.
Then, put cut-out Quilt Batting on it to stick, and fill the Jam Jar Lid up with Quilt Batting, lay some sheets of Quilt Batting one on top another.






Step Two :

After filled the Jam Jar Lid up with Quilt Batting, like the photo on the left hand side, spread glue on the Magnet, then put it (magnet) on the center of Quilt Batting (Jam Jar Lid).



Step Three :

Stick Double-stick tape (both sides sticky tape ?) around the edge of Jam Jar Lid, like light blue part in the right hand side photo...

Step Four :

Put stitched piece on the Jam Jar Lid top, and cover the Quilt Batting and the Magnet with it.

Then, make a slit in a piece of around the edge of the stitched piece to easy to stick and make beautiful circle shape.

(please see the photos above and on the right hand side...)



Step Five :

Spread glue on the outside bottom of Jam Jar Lid, and stick another cut-out Quilt Batting there, to hide the print of the lid or to make soft touch for the finished piece.

(please see the photo on the left hand side...)


Step Six :

Do the process "Step Three" (Stick Double-stick tape around the edge of Jam Jar Lid) again, then do the process "Step Four" again, this time is for the backing fabric, like the photo on the right hand side.
(* It doesn't matter even if the joint part is a bit mess at this moment...)



Step Seven :

Spread glue around the edge of the joint part of "Step Six", like the photo on the right hand side, to bind around with ribbon later.







Step Eight :

Bind around the edge of Jam Jar Lid with ribbon, to hide the mess part of "Step Six".

Then, FINISH!!
Here is the hand made "Needle Minder" !!

This is the back of the "Needle Minder".

The Jam Jar Lid which I used to make "Needle Minder" this time was the one that's shape of around the edge was a bit wavy, as you can see from the photo on the left hand side.
I think it's better not use wavy around Lid when you make your "Needle Minder".


Of course you can use any kinds of Jar Lid, big one, smaller one, Salsa sauce Lid (lol, I love it), etc... you can make your own with your favourite stitch!
And I think it's good for small presents for friends who use needles often!

This is my bad habit, though I often loose needles, so I decided to make my own "Needle Minder" !
This time I presented this for my friend, but I will make some for myself and for friends!

I do hope you all can make your own favourite "Needle Minder" by this tutorial!!

P.S. Sorry for my poor English... I don't even know some nominal names...
I do hope you could understand how to make mainly by photos, :D

Thank you!!

Design from "In The Pink" © Ewe Eye & Friends
35ct Wichelt Linen (Cream / Ivory)

"Smalls Exchange" FROM Yasmin

Here it is! Finally what I had been waiting for had safely arrived from Yasmin, from Malaysia a few days ago!
She has sent me a really beautiful "Mattress Pincushion" which I've fell in love, at the first sight at her blog!
Look at this! She also made me a pretty fob, aren't they just so cute and beautiful?!

I can't figure out how can she stitch and make such beautifully like this, even how many times I stare at joint parts...

She added so many goodies as well!
Look at the photo! I love all of them very much!!
Thank you so much Yasmin!



Look at this beautiful stitching... Beautiful... I just can't find any word...
And I love this word "When this you see think of me", yes I'm sure I will think and remember of you when I see this, Yasmin!


There are so many specialty stitches in this design, I hope she enjoyed stitching these specialty stitches and she likes them as much as I do!

Back of this Mattress Pincushion and fob, she stitched our names on them!
It made me very happy, and it will be a good memory!
But it realised and reminded me that I always have been forgetting add names of recipient and mine on the finished piece... silly me...

By the way, thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leave and left lots of comments!!
I'm so happy to read them all and I would like to reply them all, but now I have been so busy working on Christmas stuffs, so I thank you all and really appreciate them a lot!

As I wrote and promised that I will make tutorial page of Needle Minder, I will make it later, as soon as I can!

Take care!

"Smalls Exchange" FOR Yasmin

Today I've received an e-mail and heard that my exchange things has safely arrived to the recipient, so I put some photos here!
A few month ago, Yasmin and I had been talking about exchanging something in the near future, then finally the day of our exchange has came!
And I've heard that Yasmin love everything what I've stitched to her, so I'm very happy and it also made my day!
Actually there was no thema, we've only decided exchange small things.
I like mattress pincushion which Yasmin have been stitching and making very much.
Actually we both wanted to do "mattress pincushion exchange", but I have never made it and I wasn't confident to exchange it with someone at all.
But, how greedy I am! I wanted to have her mattress pincushion very much (LOL), so I told about it to her, then she kindly said to me "You can make anything to me, As you like", it helped me a lot, LOL
By the way, this time I decided to make pinkeep for her, as I knew that she loves Ewe & Eye & Friends as much as I do, I've chosen "In The Pink" from EEF collection!

I love EEF designs very much, too! This design is so cute as same as the others!
Special stitches were fun and I love this colour "Pink"!

Here are Pins which I've made by myself, some are cat's eye beads and some are metallic roses.

Here is the ribbon and top pearl pin which I also made by myself.
This time I used Bordeaux colour velvet ribbon for this pinkeep, as I thought it matches for this season.

Here is the back of pinkeep and the fabric which I've chosen for this design!
Before when I've exchanged pinkeep with Su, I also added this wee pocket and I've heard a lot that people liked this wee pocket and said nice idea, so this time I added "wee pocket" to Yasmin's again!

Actually I didn't know "wee" means then, and asked Su "What is 'wee' means?"
She told me the meaning, so now I know how to use and the meaning but, before then I just knew the word "wee wee", so it made me really confused. LOL

By the way, here is also another small present to Yasmin that I've made.

It's "Needle Minder", inside this (under the pink flower), there is Super Magnet in it!
So pins are stick on it, so she doesn't loose pins when she change threads colours!
Actually I made this by jam jar lid!

If friends want to know how to make this "Needle Minder", I had taken photos of the process to make one, so I will post a tutorial page later!

Anyway, I'm so happy that Yasmin really loved them all what I've sent to her!
It was really fun to stitch along as thinking of her!

"In The Pink" © Ewe & Eye & Friends
35ct Wichelt Linen (Cream / Ivory), DMC 1 strand

Surprise Gift FROM Jessie!

Today a postman rung door bell and I saw he holds a parcel, and he asked me to sign on the receipt, so I thought that is what I have been waiting for!
Actually I have been expecting to receive a parcel from Malaysia, but it was from Singapore!
At this moment, I was very confused, from what country and what I was expecting for???
But when I saw the sender, soon I knew who sent this parcel, it was Jessie!
This unexpected parcel made me soooooooooooo HAPPY and so Surprise, made my day indeed!!!

Look at this sweet stitching she has done for me!
She knew that I love LHN, then chose this design and stitched just for me!
Oh my goodness, what a kind and sweet person she is!
But actually I had no idea to receive a parcel from Jessie, that is because I thought she doesn't know my address, lol

She also added a linen, a chart which I wanted a lot, and lovely height measure for my son!
I realised and remembered that I've told her about Japan when her niece had a chance to came to Japan for business trip.
She has asked me where her niece can buy nice Japanese craft magazines or stitching stuff, etc...so I just told detailed information to her, because I was very happy to hear that she loves Japanese crafts, etc...!
That's all, yes that's all... But she really appreciated for what I've done to her and sent such sweet gifts for me!
Amazing, isn't it? Do I deserve such sweet and wonderful treat???
I'm really spoilt, aren't I?! :D
She is so kind, kind enough! I also appreciate for your kindness, as well and a lot!!!

I can't believe, friends are so nice to me, so kind, so sweet, I'm a really lucky girl!
I do really appreciate for your kindness, friends, that's you all!
THANKS A LOT!

(((HUGS)))

Souvenir and Present from...

My husband is a quite busy businessman, he so often goes to other prefectures by bullet train or by airplane, goes abroad often...
Always comes back home at late night...

I know he has been doing really tough job and really busy, tired, and I really feel so sorry for him.
But actually I can't manage "terrible 2" by myself, alone... so now my son and I are staying at my mum's house, ask her to help me to look after my 2 years old son!

In this month, he had been to Germany twice, the first time he stayed there only 2 or 3 days... What an enhausting job!But second time he could stay there for about one week, so he could have free time a little bit.

We have been married about 4 years now, every year he gave me "preserved flower" for my Birthday, but...
Recently I wanted other things, like cross stitch stuff etc... so this time when he had been to Germany, I asked him to buy something like "Steiff Bear", "Goebel (Hummel) figure", if he could have time to buy them.
He comes to see us once or twice a month to mum's house (it takes 3 hours by bullet train from our house to mum's house), then this time he had brought special things for us!!!
Look at this beautiful "Steiff Bear", actually he had to transit at Vienna, then found this beautiful "Vienna Opera Special Edition Bear"!!
It might sounds childish, but when I saw this bear, I screamed with pleasure, LOL

And when he had been to Germany first time in this month, bought SWALOVSKI mobile strap for me, as well.
It's fairy and so lovely, I don't want to get it dirty in my bag, so I will hang on this in the house!

Last birthday, he gave me Cross stitch books as a present, I think now he knows what makes me Happy!
It took for 4 years, though! LOL

He also bought a "Goebel (Hummel)" figure which we have been collecting!
Thank you so much! I love all the things you presented us, they are so special!
Thanks.


 

By the way, here is another present from my Japanese friend!
She has stitched and sent me this lovely LHN flat fold.

I love this colour, and the fabric she has chosen, etc...
I will put this in my favourite basket as a special present!
Thank you my friend!

Short Trip in September...

Thank you for your concern about my PC, thanks to you it has been backed to me and finally I can use my own PC!

While I have been working on Secret Projects (Christmas Ornaments + Presents), there is nothing to post here at the moment, LOL
So today I post some photos of my family short trip in September in Ikuno / Hyogo Prefecture.

Well first of all, I wanted to visit and have a meal at the thatched roof old building where is now used for the restaurant.
Look at this beautiful old Japanese building!
We can have a meal inside this building, there was a sunken hearth (fireplace) and felt really nostalgia.

I ordered "Kuromame Okowa set", it's steamed rice with black beans (black soyabean) , as in this part of the country is a famous for black beans.
First of all, we had a bit of plum liqueur as an aperitif, and it was really yum! :D

This restaurant is originally famous for rice crackers, but have their own restaurant here in country side.
I love their rice crackers, they are so yum!

Anyway, here is my ordered "Kuromame Okowa set"!
I thought that it's quite rare for Western people to see typical (normal) Japanese meals, so I put this photo here today!

I hope people enjoyed these photos as exotic things!

How was the taste???
Yes, they all were yum!

After we had lunch, we went to Ikuno silver mine.
There were 33 degree outside then, but inside the mine, it was only 11 degree... brrrrr
I thought a lot about old peoples' life.
It might be really tough job and they had hard life...

Here is the photo of silver mine!

They are dolls, seems a bit scary, though! LOL

I hope I can post something about cross stitch soon!

Grape Dyed

People really might laugh at me, as I have been dying fabrics with food many times with many kinds of foods, like I am a researcher, LOL
But it's quite fun to see how it will turn out!
This time I've tested with "Grape".
I thought it would be the same as "Red Wine Dyed" which I have done before, but a bit different result here...

It turned out a light pink purple colour and marbled!
I'm quite satisfied with this result, now there is an idea what design suit well for this hand dyed fabric in my mind :D

I used not whole grapes, I used the skins of these grapes which after we ate ;p
Just boil the grape skins with a bit of water, then when the colour turned out you'd prefer it to be, then just distilled the liquid.
Then soak washed (with water) fabric into the pan, then boil only 5-10 min.
That's all!
Oh, I shouldn't have forgotten to wirte, I've heard that to fix the colour, use wine vinegar and tepid water.
I'm not sure about it, so what's the best is... don't wash it later, LOL!

Why I'm doing this is... because we can't buy hand dyed fabric at the store, means there is no hand dyed fabrics are sold at the store in Japan, we have to order them online and have to wait to arrive.
So I have been trying hand dying by myself with food, as I don't like chemical thing much... :(

My Cheese!!

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your comments always when I post something here!
They make me feel really happy, smile and so special, and they also cheer me up a lot!
Thanks again, always!

By the way, isn't this so lovely?!
I found this funny but cute design at French blog "Les chroniques de Frimousse", and wanted to stitch for a long time! Then finally I could make it! Yahoo!


Now my PC has been repairing at the factory, I'm using mum's PC, so there is almost no my data on her PC, so I have more time and can concentrate on stitching better than before!
That's why recently I could have done a couple of stitches and finishings!
Now I realised how much I had been wasting my time on my PC, if I cut my time playing with PC, I would be able to stitch a lot! :D

Anyway, here are some photos of my cheese!

Actually there were Back Stitch on this chart, but I haven't done BS, I thought it would be a bit cartoonish if I've stitched BS for this design.

Now my son has been playing with this Cheese Mouse as saying "chu chu", it's so lovely to see him saying that!
It always make me smile! :D


Free Chart from © Les chroniques de Frimousse

Big surprise gift has arrived from Cindy!

A few days ago, I received a parcel from Cindy!
Look at this photo! There were really wonderful stuff in there!
We were talking about trading charts and she told me that she's sent me a chart, so I was thinking that just "a chart" will arrive to me...
But! She added so many goodies with a promised chart @_@;

She added some more beautiful charts, fabrics, candle, body cream, chocolate, and moreover, she stitched and made really lovely mini pillow from Lizzie Kate for me!
How kind person she is!!
Look at this beautiful and lovely pillow!

I really love all the things she has sent me, I'm using body cream every day after took a bath, it's really nice fragrance, it really make me feel relax!
I love chocolate, but my husband who is now in Germany and Austria as for the business trip, asked me to keep them for him, lol

He also loves chocolates, he had lived in the US (in Colorado, was doing snowboard instructor when he was young), he loves US chocolates very much, lol

Actually, I'm so sorry to Cindy, I didn't expected these wonderful gifts would arrive to me, I've sent only a chart to her... what a nasty person I am, LOL

But I promised Cindy to look forward to receive something special (I hope...) for this Christmas!!

So now I have to do is to be a busy bee!
Make ornaments and gifts for this Christmas!!! :D

Thank you so much for your kindness, Cindy!

I really really appreciate for this wonderful gift!

Sweet Christmas!

Thank you for your concern regarding my PC.
As I expected, it went to its repair center, lol...
I hope when it came back, there won't be no troubles anymore...

By the way, I realised that I can use my mum's laptop instead of mine while it has been repairing at the factory!

So here is my first ornament for this Christmas.　

I was going to make normal ornament with this stitch, but I found this wooden board, and the size was just fitted, I decided to use this for the first ornie.

I added dark red velvet ribbon on the both sides
of stitch.
I was going to present this for my mum's friend (who I haven't met...
lol) as my mum asked me to make something for her as a Christmas gift, but once my mum saw this, she said she likes this so much and now she is going to have this as hers, LOL LOL

Greedy mum, LOL

This design is from "Sweet Christmas" © Glory Bee @ "Just Cross Stitch"
2002 Special Christmas Issue 'Christmas Ornaments'
28ct Chasel Linen (Taupe Linen)