What a tiresome way needles have of getting lost, haven’t they, and even whole packets of needles have a trick of disappearing nobody knows where. Every little girl who does any sewing really needs some safe place in which to keep her needles. This little housewife, which is shown both open and closed, is just the thing. You can stick odd needles in the flannel, and slip packets of needles in the pocket at the end. If you always remember to do this, you cannot very easily get them mislaid, and the little red housewife will be quite a friend to you. And what is more, it is not difficult to make.

To make one exactly like that in the picture, you want a piece of crimson satin, 12½ inches long by 3¾ inches wide, a piece of white flannel, 10 inches long by 2¼ inches wide, some crimson embroidery silk, salmon pink embroidery silk, some crimson sewing silk, and a pearl button.

First lay your flannel on the wrong side of the satin. If you put it on quite straight, you will find there is ¾-inch of red showing each side of the flannel, and 1¼ inch at each end. At each side turn down a hem of satin, so that it comes over the edge of the flannel. Tack and hem it. Now turn down and hem each end in the same way. You will have wider hems here.

Having hemmed the satin to the flannel all round (taking care that the stitches do not go right through to the right side of the satin), turn down 2 inches at one end, to make the little pocket you see in the picture, sewing it neatly at each side with oversewing stitches. Oversew also the open ends of the opposite hem.

Now you know how to feather-stitch, don’t you, or if you do not, you will see on page 5 how it is done. Work single feather-stitch with salmon pink silk down each side and end of the housewife. The inside is now divided up into four divisions, by double feather-stitch worked in crimson. This is worked in the same way as single feather-stitch, only that you take first two stitches one way and then two the other, instead of one each way. A little piece of double feather-stitching has been separately worked for you to see how it is done.

At the end opposite the pocket, make a loop in red silk of two threads, covered with blanket stitch. This is described in the chapter on “Dolly’s Bed.”

Now, starting at the pocket end, fold the needle-case over and over, and just opposite where the loop comes, sew a little pearl button, and the housewife is finished, and quite ready for you to stick your needles in.

You can use silk quite as well as satin for your housewife, and if you like any other shade better than red, make it of your favourite colour.