Sewing for the Sewing Room

Don't make something unless it is both made necessary and useful;
but if it is both necessary and useful,
don't hesitate to make it beautiful.

~ Shaker dictum

I recently ordered some nice hand sewing needles and I wanted some way to store them.  I browsed a bunch of gorgeous needle books on Etsy, but just couldn't bring myself to shell out $10 or more for something that I could make so easily.  

Then I looked at free sewing patterns for needle books - and there are a bunch! (for starters, click here)  

In the end, I decided to just wing it.  If I can't make a needle book without a pattern, I have no business with a sewing machine!  ;)

So, I guesstimated how big I wanted my needle book to be, cut 3 rectangles (2 of fabric and 1 of batting) and stitched them up - with an elastic hair band for the button loop centered along one of the short edges.  

Then I attached a shank button and stitched some felt "pages" into my book.  

And, voila!  A cute little needle book.  :)

Probably the quickest sewing project I've ever undertaken.  I think the most time consuming step was settling on which fabric scrap to use...  ;)

The only thing that worries me just a tad is that the needles came wrapped in foil, with a note recommending that I leave them in foil to prevent rusting.  What do you think?  Am I going to be sorry that I took them out of the foil?  Have you ever had sewing needles rust on you?  

How about you?  Have you ever done any sewing for your sewing room?  What have you made?