rollup needle case

Spring cleaning season means it's time to get organized! You can corral all your crochet hooks & knitting needles in a super easy, super quick rollup organizer. 

So there's this ever-present cycle in my life of always having extra (a.k.a. a super first-world problem). Maybe you're dealing with the same predicament. You know how at the beginning of a project you have to go out & buy a bunch of material? You, being the practical lady you are, always buy a little extra of what you need in case you mess up or run out halfway through. Maybe it's just a few inches of fabric or an extra skein of yarn from the same dye lot (running out of yarn from the same dye lot is a horror story for another time). Anyway, once the project is done you have just enough leftover material to do... nothing with. Too little to start another project & too big to throw out. This is my life, only multiplied by a lifetime of projects. Those little scraps add up! I've been consciously trying to use up my arsenal of little bits, & this project was just perfect for that. This needle case was made with the Berkus fabric leftover from the ottoman makeover. It's the perfect project for using up leftovers, & you can even mix & match fabrics.

This rolled needle case that I made most recently is actually a replacement for my old one. I was doing some organizing in the craft room (spring cleaning season has gone into full effect at my house) & noticed my old case was too small to contain all my hooks & needles. Literally 20 minutes later I had made a new one. This project was completed so quickly that I forgot to photograph the steps! So here are a few illustrations instead. 

You'll need:

• Two pieces each of the following sizes of fabric* :
• 18"x15"
• 9"x8"
• 8"x5"
• 30" of ribbon (or some sort of tying material - I used bias tape)
• Sewing machine & notions

* The fabric widths & lengths are based off of the size & amount of my needles. If you're making a case to hold knitting needles only, you only need one tall pocket. If you're making a crochet hook case, you'll only need the one long short pocket & the entire case can be shorter.

• Step 1 | Take your two 18"x15" pieces of fabric & lay one on top of the other, with the wrong sides facing out. Sew a straight stitch along the edges, leaving an opening towards the middle on one side. 
• Step 2 | Turn the fabric inside out through the opening. Fold your ribbon in half & pin it inside of the opening. Now sew your ribbon in place, closing the opening. Continue topstitching along all edges of the fabric. This is your needle case cover!
• Step 3 | Do the same with your pocket pieces (the 9"x8" & the 8"x5"), only without the use of ribbon. You will only need to topstitch one of the long sides - the topstitched side will be the top of the pocket. 
• Step 4 | Lay your two pockets, topstitching at the top, about 1/2 inch up from the bottom of your needle case cover. Stitch along the bottom & sides of each pocket. Then stitch up each pocket, creating pouches for your needles & hooks. The longer pocket is for knitting needles, & the shorter pocket is for crochet hooks. If you have any irregularly large needles, lay them inside the pocket first to see how far apart your stitch lines should be. 
• Step 5 | Load up your case with needles, & roll towards the ribbon side. Tie the ribbon around the rolled case. Done! 

Don't forget to add a dab of white glue to the raw edges of your ribbon to prevent fraying. 

I asked what I should do with my scrap fabric on Instagram & I love the ideas. I still have some more of this fabric leftover, so you might be seeing it again soon. #BerkusForLyfe.

xoxo,

-m.e.

P.S. Super quick shell-stitch crochet baby blanket.