I started Sum of their Stories as a way to share the craft skills and enthusiasm that was passed to me by members of my family who are no longer with us. My mum, and both my Grandmas particularly, so each year, on what would have been their birthday I share a little something, as a tribute to them and all they passed on to me.

February 7th was my Mum, Jenny’s birthday. This little owl needlebook was hers. I actually don’t know if she made it herself or not, i think I remember her saying she did but I don’t actually know for sure.

I still use this little felt needlebook, I have it in my bag with all my papers for EPP patchwork which I’ve been doing a lot of recently. I use the hexagon patchwork bag that I made from the bedspread my Nan Pearl had made for me as my EPP project bag as it seems so apt, and I keep this little owl needlebook in there. You can read all about the bedspread to bag conversion here.

You can see the needlebook is well used but holding up well considering it has to be 50+ years old.

I have a plan to remake this owl needle case and then create a pattern and tutorial to share here on the blog. I’ve actually been meaning to do this for several years but now I’ve said it in public I’ll have to do it right? Watch this space :-)

So today I’m thinking of my mum, all the encouragement she gave me over the years and all the craft skills she taught me. I love the connection it gives me to have just a few of her things like this that I can still use regularly.

If you’d like to see the other things I’ve shared of mum’s over the years you can find them here, plus the poem where I got the name Sum of their Stories.

Julie