Saturday, September 13, 2014

DIY: A needle minder tutorial


So as it turns out, I really love embroidery. It's a very calming craft, and easily accessible for relaxing on the couch. But what to do with those pesky disappearing needles?! Time to buy a needle minder! What? No! You can totally make one! And it's a great use for all those teeny scraps of fabulous fabric that you just can't seem to toss. (You fabric hoarder, you.)

First things first: supplies.



You'll need a button kit. I found mine at Joanne's. It came with the tools (white and blue bits there) to pop the buttons together. Use buttons large enough to hole your magnets. I used two different sizes here.
Buy some strong or ultra strong magnets. I found these at ACMoore but I know they have something similar at just about every craft store.
Scraps of fabric from your collection.
Some E6000 glue. I found a pack of these four small tubes at Walmart. These are nice because the large tube is expensive and tends to get all dried up before you use it all.

Okay, make your buttons according to the directions. (The really easy-to-figure-out directions. But if you need explanation, let me know!)


Now add the magnet to the back, using a dab of your E6000 glue. (In a well-ventilated area, it's stinky!)



Let it dry for a few hours, then hold a plain magnet behind your hoop fabric and attach the fabric button magnet to the front. They'll stick together no problem! Now you have a cute little button to stick your needle to when you need to take a break! (Or fix dinner, or take a shower. You know you have to eventually.)


Hope you enjoy making your own cute needle minders! I made a few of my own just for good measure...


5 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this idea ... Simple, but lovely. I will be making a few for Christmas gifts too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh cute! Thanks for sharing this tutorial! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for the tute! I've been wondering how to make one!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks a million for this beautifully written tutorial! *clap, clap, clap*

    ReplyDelete