A Sewing Box from an Old Book

[Leslieshappyheart]

I found a tutorial to turn a book into a sewing box HERE and I knew it would be perfect for my partner in the Book Lover's swap, which I had just started organizing when this challenge was announced.  So she got a new sewing box, and I got something I could enter in this challenge!  Win-win!



It started with this big, thick volume of Shakespeare I found for $1 at my local library. (People donate old books and the library sells them to fund their programs.)



First I removed all the pages--it was actually very easy to do with an X-acto knife:  just one cut along the inside of the spine at the front and the back, and they all came out together.  The pages aren't used in this project, so I saved them for something in the future.



Then I glued book-themed scrapbook paper to the inside of the covers, sandwiching in some ribbon to tie the box closed.  I measured and cut balsa wood into the sizes I needed to make the compartments, and used a hot glue gun to hold them in place.



I glued more of the scrapbook paper to the outside of the balsa wood to give the box a finished look.



I painted the top edges of the wood with gold paint.  The pin cushion is a simple circle of fabric stuffed with polyfil and glued into one of the compartments.  I made a matching needle book to complete the package.

[Smmarrt]

I love this! What a fantastic package to receive!

(Still kicking myself I didn't join this swap!)

[Calabaza]

Great! Cute, fun and handy!

[flutter-by]

That turned out really well.  From the thumbnail, I was thinking that you had cut the boxes out from the pages - like the hidden safe in a book type of thing, and I was going to be really impressed with your exacto knife skills.  The wood makes much more sense.

[LovelyMiss]

This is great!  I like your book choice and matching needle book and pin cushion, too.  Cute!  I think I'll add this to my list of projects, since my current sewing box is a Ziploc bag.

[Leslieshappyheart]

Thanks, everyone!

[SiFi Mom]

Wow, what a great idea, you did a wonderful job on this.

[jenleahlynn]

this looks very neatly done. great idea. i love going to the library books sales. our library sells them by the pound.

[wendiek]

Oh, I love it! Such an lovely box!

Great work Leslie! 

[Miranda Lee]

This is such a cute idea! I can think of a million and one things that I could use this for. Good Job!

[Midnight Sun]

This is really cool       

[luckdragon]

Love this idea! Thanks for sharing!

[PaperBeau]

aaaaaaaaamazing!

[KapitankaNemo]

Awesome! I love this and want to make one )

[Leslieshappyheart]

Awesome! I love this and want to make one )

Thanks!  I encourage you to give it a try!

[sweets4ever]

It's time to vote!!  Is this your favorite entry in the challenge?  Vote for it here!

[kjlutz]

I love it.  So practical and interesting at the same time.

Any ideas for crafting the insides of the book?

[Leslieshappyheart]

Any ideas for crafting the insides of the book?

Yes!  I've used book pages to cover matchboxes (and then add decoration on top) like these: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=415418.0#axzz2Ndlx2aK9

Cut down, they make pages in tiny doll-sized books like these: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=420404.0#axzz2Ndlx2aK9

I also cut out heart shapes using my Sizzix and glue them to a card, then stamp over them like this:


I also plan to make some cards by stamping the big winged heart onto a book page, then cutting out the whole thing and gluing it to the card.  Book pages are wonderfully graphic without being too busy or distracting, so there really are tons of ways to incorporate them into projects.

[gamemom42]

You got my vote!  I love beautiful things that are fully functional and your sewing box definitely fits the bill.  Good luck!

[SunnyDawn]

Sweet idea and I think it's something I may do some day soon!  I am sure the recipient was very pleased! 

Not a critique just a curiosity, why not use pages from the book to cover the box?  Was the paper not strong enough?

[Leslieshappyheart]

Sweet idea and I think it's something I may do some day soon!  I am sure the recipient was very pleased!  

Not a critique just a curiosity, why not use pages from the book to cover the box?  Was the paper not strong enough?

The reasons I didn't cover the outside of the book are 1) It was a book of Shakespeare, and my partner lives in London, so I didn't want to obscure the words "William Shakespeare" on the spine; and 2) I wanted it to still look like a book to the casual observer, so the sewing box part of it would be a surprise.

[SunnyDawn]

Oh, no I meant instead of the scrapbook paper.  Are book pages too flimsy for something like this?

[Leslieshappyheart]

Oh, the inside! I think it would depend on the paper. The thinner pages would be somewhat see-through, but I can image they would work well if you used several layers, in a collage.

[SunnyDawn]

Thanks! Can't wait to try it out! I voted for you, i love it!
 

[Leslieshappyheart]

Thanks! Can't wait to try it out! I voted for you, i love it!
 

Thank you!!!

[johnson.mom2two]

That is so cool!

[CraftyMamaBee]

I LOVE it!!! And from what I see it looks like you got a lot of the votes!!! Very awesome work Leslie!