I was at my wit’s end figuring out how to carry my needles around safely. Then I realized I had some empty Burt’s Bees containers lying around. And they were the same size as my needles! Wrapping the thread around the tube makes for decorative portability! Super easy to do, and would make a nice last-minute gift for a crafty friend. Here’s the pictorial guide, and the specifics are further below.

Prepare. Make sure your pins fit in the tube. Peel the label off.

Gouge the very last portions of lip balm out of there! I used the wrong end of a spoon. It’s not a big deal to leave some wax in there. Especially if you like to wax your thread.

Gather the thread colors you wish to use. Wrap each color thread around the tube. I didn’t wrap it to the very edges because I didn’t want risk pulling the thread off when I opened or unscrewed the tube. Tie each one off with a simple loop.

Looking good! Now put your pins in there. The beauty of the lip balm container is that you can raise and lower the pins and needles to get to them, just like you would do with the lip balm.

Now you can bring your sewing kit with you in your pocket. Enjoy!

With the great big shift on the horizon, it’s time to think about how we connect with each other and the world.

Let’s visualize our connections today.

Girl on the left from ETAM CRU, the fractal circles visualize data, and the cell-and- crystal-like structures are from this artist.

One of a kind clothing up for grabs at thimblescratch.etsy.com