I had all my needles still in the original packaging stuffed in my knitting bag, sewing cabinet, or on my desk. It was disorganized and I was having a hard time remembering what size needles I already owned when I went to my LYS and saw needles on sale. I made one this week based on an idea from the activities director at the nursing home where I did my social work practicum. It is so simple, taking me about 30 minutes, and costing less than 3.99$.
Step 1
Send your husband to Target to buy you a placemat. Okay that only works if your husband has good taste. Didn't mine do a great job? I went to Walmart earlier in the week and their selection was really poor.
Step 2
Fold up the bottom of the placemat 5 inches and pin it on both sides.
Step 3
Mark lines for where you want to sew the pockets for the needles. I used paper tape but masking tape would work well too. I left just enough space between the tape so I could sew a straight line and that worked well to fit all my needles in.
Step 4
Sew a straight line between each line of tape.
Step 5
Sew two pieces of ribbon in between the folds of the placemat on one side. My ribbon is too long but I am not sure how much I will need once I fill the case up with needles so I kept it longer.
Step 6
Write in the needle sizes. I left a little flap in the top of the pocket so I could write in the needle size with a fabric marker and the writing doesn't show unless I am looking for it. I didn't want my numbers messing up my pretty little case.
This is where you really get to customize it to your needs. Like I have 2 sets of size 2 DPN because I bought the plastic ones before I knew that I really prefer the square metal ones. And I only have one set of short, straight knitting needles so I stuck those in too.
Step 7
Roll up the case and tie the ribbon. I turned mine over and shook it to see if any needles fell out. They didn't. If you are concerned you could fold the top of the place mat down a bit before rolling it to be sure they stay put.
That's all there is to it. Easy Peasy DPN case. I am working on another one for longer straight needles using two more really cute placemats my husband brought home.Labels: sewing, tools, Tutorial
