Tales of my sewing room dreams and my needle case collection!

Her needlework both plain and ornamental

was excellent, and she might have put a

sewing machine to shame.

James Edward Austen-Leigh

My sewing room is getting a little full and I have no large table in there for cutting out so that has to be done on my dinning room table which is not ideal at all but hopefully with are search for a new home will come with a new larger sewing room  and I will be able to stretch out a bit and make it very desirable to look at on all the walls.  At the moment I still have one of our single beds in there for overflow sleeping at times but when we move it will be just my stitchery domain and the house will be our home only ....  I have so many ideas for it and I have started a moving journal in which to jot down ideas, cut out photos from magazines and keep all the cards that we collect and details of everything that will have to be done.  It helps me to keep detailed records and I am so excited about moving to pastures new .

With this said and more room I can then add to my ever growing needle case habit ..... Grin.

As you all know dear reader I have found a new collect fetish ... needle cases and I now can not help myself if they are on offer.

It started, I suppose, with the little needle case I found in an antique shop years ago now in a basket with bits.  It was wrapped in cellophane to protect it thank goodness and when I spied it I asked how much. It was 50p and I nearly ran out of the shop in case a mistake had been made.  When I got it home and with further inspection I found it was made by a wounded soldier in or just after the First World War so it is nearly 100 years old now.  I fell in love with it and have done so much research into it that I have started a small book on the subject in my limited spare time...  Isn't is a beauty?

Then my next purchase is this very pretty green one with ribbon embroidery and felt inner.  It is 20thC so not that old but never the less I love it so much.  Also in the 50's/60's you could, apparently, buy little cardboard needle case bases to cover and embellish and these is one of them.

You can see the beautiful ribbon work and the base is a lovely shade of light green in velvet fabric with a silk ribbon to tie it together.  It had to come home with me.

Then of course there are the two needle cases that I bought from Jenny (Tilly - D) when I went to The Sewing Room in Cranborne and one in particular (with the floral fabric) is very old indeed and has the original paper inlay with who made it, Abel Morrall.  It too has a cardboard needle case base.

I am so pleased that it has found a home with me and will be greatly taken care of.  

Then of course there was the one with the beautiful embroidery and NEEDLES chain stitched beautifully across the front cover and with original needles still intact inside.

I love this one made from linen as a cover and again with a wooden cardboard inner as well.

The last of my collection and my latest acquisition was the silk one with some mending to do that I bought at the Vintage Bazaar from Hesta Nesta and it is, I have to say my joint favourite with the first one from the First World War.  It is a thing of beauty, elegance and commodity, although I will not be using it daily as my needle case it far to delicate and I am in the process of mending it carefully so that it does not fall apart on me ..... I think when I move they will have to be a collective display in my sewing room but out out of the sun .. they are all just too beautiful to put into a drawer never to be seen, what a pity that would be.

I have finally matched the colour thread to this silk needle case and I will begin one evening this week or at the weekend to mend it with weeny stitches like the mice from Beatrix Potter .... But I with one exception, I have have a whole skein of twill!!!!

So as you can see a collection has started and now on my forever list for now in any rate is antique needle cases to add to this fine collection.

I can not wait to move and get a bigger space and it will be outside and not in the house so that I can leave work and go home as it were and also have enough room to take regular classes which will start up as soon as we are organised there.  We saw a house we loved on paper but before we could get to see it, and offer was made and accepted .. boo hoo so the hunt continues ... watch this space.

I hope you have a wonderful day do not forget to come back tomorrow for a stitching tribute to Her Majesty ... Real footage of her Coronation train being stitched!  Have a great Bank Holiday Weekend & Happy Stitching!