Calico Days pincushion, zipped pouch and needle sleeve

Well, quilting friends, I\’ve come to the conclusion that we all need at least a half yard bundle of every fabric line that we love!  (How I wish money were no object for all of us!) Since getting my half yard bundle of \”Calico Days\” (Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs) from Lou Lou\’s Fabric Shop in December, I\’ve made three small quilts, cut and began assembly of a large quilt, and I STILL have a super stash left.  It\’s wonderful!  

This past Saturday, I decided it was time for a little reunion with Calico Days. Luckily, my awesome husband got busy in the morning and whipped up a pot of potato soup for lunch.  Then he took both kids clothes shopping at the mall (ugh!).  I\’m not sure what fishing or golf related purchase he is going to be asking for soon, but I don\’t care.  He earned a lot of brownie points from me, as I got to play with fabric most of the morning and afternoon.  Yeah!


I had a few small projects in mind:  a new pincushion, a zipped pouch for my binding supplies, and maybe a needle book.  But when it came right down to it, I realized what I really wanted was a simple \”needle sleeve\” that I could tuck into my new zipped pouch.  

I also had some doo-dads I wanted to include in my Saturday makes.  Barb, the owner of my local quilt shop Quilts on Broadway, gave me a worn and tattered fabric measuring tape that she had held onto for years.  I also had some of my Grandma Audrey\’s tatting that I\’d been trying to work into a project.  Both of these items seemed to fit well with Calico Days!  So I pulled some pieces and began cutting.

First up was a new pin cushion.  Last summer I went on a pincushion making tirade (I need MORE pincushions).  But I gave most of those away, and a few were just decorative. When my old plastic magnetic pin dish broke a few months back, I began using one of my pincushions in earnest and it was already beginning to look pretty grungy. It was time for a new working pincushion for the sewing room.  In case you are wondering, I use crushed walnut shells from the pet store for my filling.

I have to show you a closeup of that worn fabric measuring tape Barb gave me.  The edge of the tape had been finished off with a thick stitch.  Isn\’t it just awesome?


Next up was a needle sleeve.  There are so many darling needle book patterns and tutorials out there, and someday I will likely make one.  But on Saturday, I made just what I needed, a sleeve to hold a few needles and pins for on-the-go binding or sewing. I actually had a piece of felted wool from a project I never started.  Imagine that!

This is the front of my needle sleeve.  How sweet are those little daisies and spring chicks?




Finally, I needed a small zipped pouch to hold my binding goodies.  I used Lori Holt\’s free tutorial for the Quilty Zip Pocket.  I have made these before and they are great fun!  I altered the size to make mine a bit smaller and used Pellon 987f fusible fleece to give it a little weight. My center block is a mini spool. The spool pattern is from Lori\’s Book Quilty Fun. I was so happy to use a bit of Grandma Audrey\’s tatting! I also included a sweet zipper charm from Lou Lou\’s Fabric Shop.


All in all it was a great day of sewing, friends.  Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my Saturday fun.  Please visit Lou Lou\’s Fabric Shop (banner ad in my left sidebar) to see all the lovely things Jamie has in store for you!  I hope you can carve out some hours for simple, sweet sewing and that you get carried away quilting often!

~Taunja



16 thoughts on “Calico Days pincushion, zipped pouch and needle sleeve

  1. This is excellent! I saw Camille Roskelly's pouch on her Craftsy Quilting and Piecing Class that she had on sale about a week ago and since I am new I had to watch it and learn from it and already using some of what I learned. I would love to make a pouch for binding supplies like my wonder clips and I liked her pouch. My grandmother did fine needle crochet that she did for all of her pillowcases. As the pillowcases get worn I cut the crochet off and save it. Now I know I can use it with some quilting like you have done! I like the charms I have seen on IG, found a sewing machine one on Etsy, and since I love pie I will look at LouLou's shop. Thank you for a great post! You hit it out of the ballpark again for me! Karen in NC Kaleezim on IG

  2. Thank you so much Karen! Wow . . . you know how to make a girl's day! I hope you get to use some of your grandmother's needlework. That just makes every project so much more special I think! And yes, head on over to Lou Lou's if you get the chance. Jamie has LOTS of charms, and she's great! Have a great day, Karen!

  3. How pretty these pieces are! Makes me want to drop everything right now to have a sewing day😊. I love how you included the tape measure and tatting into your pieces. Makes me think about my grandma and how her hands were always busy making pretty things. I have said it before but again, thank you for continuing to inspire me and many others💕

  4. Well thanks so much Pam. It's nice to take some time to think on our grandmas (and grandpas) and their activities, isn't it? Both of my grandmothers did a lot of different handwork, but neither of them made quilts. I wish I had spent time with them learning to crochet! Have a great day Pam!

  5. These items are so special Taunja! Love the old with the new. I'm very much a memory-type person and love how you incorporated the vintage items in your projects with the Calico Days Fabric. Beautiful!!

  6. I won a fq bundle of Calico Days on IG. These are some cute ideas for when I get to using it for a quilt. Make make a few of the Farm Girl Vintage blocks into a lap quilt. Thanks for inspiration!

  7. Soooooooo cute!! Love that old tape and your Grandmother's tatting. Makes it all that much more special!!! You know, I still have yet to make that pouch. Looking forward to school being out for summer! 🙂

  8. You will love that pouch! It is so fun and easy. And fun to be able to use some of Lori's cute small blocks! I love using old things. Your enthusiasm makes me want to run out to an antique store and search through bins for trim, buttons, etc, etc. Have a great day Tuki!

Leave a Reply to Carried Away QuiltingCancel reply