Bird Needle Case Tutorial and Giveaway

Somehow, I never got around to posting my bird needle case here. It's a fun little project that uses the AccuQuilt Bird die -- or you could find a bird applique pattern to use. You've probably already got one somewhere in your pattern collection.



This is the first needle case I've made, and I'm surprised at how handy it is. I can never find a needle when I need one because I hide the packages from my little boys and then can't remember where I put them. My youngest takes those round plastic packages that dispense the needles one at a time as a personal challenge. And pin cushions, especially the cute ones, are just asking for trouble.

The needle case is small enough to tuck away, and they can't see the needles -- I think that's the secret of its success.

Want to make your own? (If you want one but don't want to make it, just scroll down to the bottom and enter my giveaway.) You'll need four 3 1/2" x 6" pieces of print fabric (if you're using the bottom bird on the die -- if you're using a different bird, check the measurements), some small scraps if you want your birdie to have wings, two 3 1/2" x 6" pieces of cotton batting, and four 3 1/2" x 6" pieces of fusible web, and a 6" wide strip of flannel for the inner pages.



Make two sandwiches of fabric and batting by fusing your print fabric to both sides of a batting piece. (I made my first birds without the fusible web, but I think it adds more structure to the book covers and makes sewing the edges easier, especially around the beak and tail.



Run each piece through the AccuQuilt Go! cutter. If you want your bird to have wings, cut those too. Cut four layers of flannel for the inner pages.



Trim off the head and tail of your inner pages, and just a bit off of the belly. This keeps the tail and beak from showing once your needle case is assembled.





Zig zag or buttonhole stitch around both birds and their wings. Layer the front and back covers of your needle book with the inner pages and sew a straight seam just inside the edge of the bird's back -- from the base of its neck to the beginning of the tail (marked with pins in the picture.)



Between the video and this tutorial, I've made more needle cases than I can use myself, so I'm giving one of them (the black one from these pictures) away. To enter, just become a follower and leave a comment before 11:59pm September 29. Or, if you're already a follower, leave a comment and let me know. You can get an extra entry by linking to this tutorial from your blog - just leave another comment and let me know where you've linked from.

I'll pick a random winner and send the needle case off along with some needles to keep in it. International entries are okay, too -- it's light enough to mail anywhere.