I have been anxiously waiting to show you this... but I had to wait until my sister got it before I could show you.
First of all, let me say, that there is something to be said for little sisters bugging their big sisters.... I love it, love it, love it... it is so much fun! LOL!
It certainly was a pleasure making it! I had asked if she would like something homemade for Christmas and she said yes. Let me tell you... she didn't get it for Christmas, because I wasn't done (but I did give her something small and homemade for Christmas to fill in the waiting time).... until she did get it. Tell me, do you think it was worth the wait???
When we talked at Christmas, I had Mum tell her, how gorgeous it was (not meaning to brag, but just to get her curiousity peaked!)... well, it got her curiousity peaked!
Do you know what she did, she wrote to my Mum and asked her for a hint!!!!!! Of course, I caught wind of it, because Mum asked me what she should tell her, so I said, "tell her it is big enough to carry around, but small enough to display".... then I immediately wrote to my sister when I got home and said "ahem, I hear you are asking for clues!", LOL!
And so, it went, back and forth I sent her some clues.... here they are:
Clue #2: It's got beige, brown, blue, green, peach, yellow and eggplant in it.... my sister likes beiges and greens... I am a pink/bue/green kind of person so I find her colours hard to work with, and I wanted to "confuse" her with the colours... I figured she would wonder what kind of "ugly" fabric was being used..... how do you think I did??
Clue #3: Sealed with a "string to a heart"... it dangles freely!" To which she replied "stop teasing, I am no good at all with charades! How can something dangle freely if it is sealed with a string to a heart???"
Clue #4: I responded to Clue #2 with "Oops, sorry (about the teasing)... but when it travels, all things will be contained!"... To which she replied that from Clues 1 and 2, she guessed it was on its way to her in the mail, to which I replied... "Hmmmm, could be... but then again, maybe not... however, when you do eventually see it, you will know what I meant by that clue (it had dual meaning because, yes it had been mailed).
Clue #5: When folded, it can fit in one hand, but when open it may take two.
Anyway.... I don't think she figured it out, because she never did give me any guesses... but, she got it today!
Can you figure it out??? See if you can spot the clues....
So, here's the back.... a notebook fits nicely in the pocket, and there's room for a pen too....

And this is the front with her initial on it... I created another one of my original drawings and I hand embroidered it. I usually use six-stranded cotton floss but use only one strand for the actual embroider of this type. (The embroider looks big in the picture, but probably only measures about 3x2 inches or so total).

And what is this on... well, it's a hussif of course!

See, it has a lacy thimble holder...

and see the embroidered circle, it has a magnet in it, so it is a "needle minder"... and some rings for hanging threads and ribbon. It has two pockets with zippers. Lots of little pockets that I filled with a notepad, ruler, a thread cutter/needle threader combination, a water soluble pen, a wooden cuticle stick which makes a handy little laying tool, scissors, and needle and pins... there's a flap with pieces of fabric to store theneedles and pins!

I also included a pin cushion, and a matching scissor fob:

I didn't want it to be "floppy" so, everything is lined, and some of the pieces have reinforcements which helped to give it the stiffness I was looking for.
I can't say this went without its hitches as I was designing as I went along and often changed my mind. For instance, the zippered pockets were a last minute thing and I put on the zippers but didn't like that you could see the zipper on the inside, so I ripped them off, undid the lining, then inserted the zippers properly.
Another small "blip" was when I sewed everything together and turned it inside out... well, I had so many layers that the hole I made to turn it inside out was not big enough and I struggled for an hour until I got it turned right side out, however, because I had used linen, it was so wrinkled and I couldn't get the wrinkles out that I ripped it apart again, reblocked, and used a different method for putting it together.
One last thing... I started off with a heart-shaped pocket for the scissors like I have seen on so many hussifs, but I decided it was really wasted space and I wanted to get the most out of the space that I could. So I replaced that with one big pocket that I divided into three for inserting things.
While it is not perfect, all in all I have to say it was a great learning experience and I am very happy with the design and will use this again, with a few minor alterations.
So what do you think? I am so jealous, because I haven't even made one for myself yet.... usually for all us stitchers, "myself" usually always comes last, so it will most likely be a while before I get around to making myself one. My Mum and her friend Kay already want one too.

So here's a recap of the clues:
1. Small enough to carry, but large enough to display - it measures approximately 6.25 X 9.25 inches in it's open state, 6.25 X 4+ inches when closed.
2. It's got beige, brown, blue, green, peach, yellow and eggplant in it... no, it wasn't all in the fabric!
3. Sealed with a "string to a heart"... it dangles freely! (Look closely at the closure, it is a button that you wrap with a string that just happens to have a heart on the end....)... I didn't want to use ribbon because it wrinkles and takes time to "tie a bow" and I didn't want a button loop.... so this was my solution.
4. When it travels, all things will be contained (does this only mean "it was mailed"!).
5. When folded, it can fit in one hand, but when open it may take two....
I am pleased to say this needlecase will accommodate most needlecraft techniques in that the zippered pockets are big enough to hold fair sized pieces of fabric, patterns, or tiny embellishments you don't want to get lost. You can fill the pockets with whatever suits your fancy for the craft you've chosen. And the best thing is you can take it with you anywhere because it will fit nicely in your purse!
My sister was happy with her gift and said the kindest words to me! Those words meant so much to me from my "big sister".
Luv ya Sis! XX
Peace, love and joy!