Funky housewife
Dionysius, 9 October 2026
Anyone who does skilled things with their hands is usually aware that there are process-craftspeople and product-craftspeople — those who enjoy the process slightly more than the product and those who enjoy the product slightly more than the process.
I tend to be more on the process side of things and can easily get lost for hours working on a project. When I used to knit more regularly, I’d usually give most of my knitted items away. For me, the process of working with thread was the enjoyable part.
As a more process-oriented person, that sometimes means that I have several projects on the go at once. When I get tired of working on one, I move on to another one and finish them whenever. So, I have a lot of notions (scissors, needle threaders, stitch rippers, rulers, etc.) in many different places. I desperately needed some organization.
Our Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors had sewing baskets for notion storage, but on-the-go they often used a sewing roll-up. The sewing roll-up was a long and narrow textile object with a bit of fabric or felt for needle storage and some pockets for thread and other notions.
Some old examples of sewing roll-ups in the collection of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Pennsburg (Montgomery County), Pennsylvania
The construction looked simple enough for a novice stitcher like me. And, just weeks before I got a hold of some Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Kaffe Fassett is a fabric designer who is known for bold colors and funky designs. Funky is outside of my comfort zone, but I’ve been trying recently to embrace more textile funk in my life. I had the idea, the fabric, and needed a pattern to follow. Luckily, one of my favorite Youtubers — Kate at The Last Homely House — actually had a pattern and video on a needle case that rolls up, very much in the manner of these old ones. Here’s her video.
My funky sewing roll-ups in Kaffe Fassett fabric
I was quite happy with how the first funky housewife / sewing roll-up turned out, so I made some more for each project bag. They are bold and vibrant and I’m sure will be welcome sights as the stitching days in the coming months get grayer and colder.