This is the base of the spoolholder from Carolyn Pearce’s book ‘Home Sweet Home Workbox’. Having assembled it over the plastic and interlining in the same way that I did for the lid (see the previous blog post), I now needed to attach it to the base of the embroidered wall, as a kind of upside-down lid!
The hinge for the lid is a piece of ribbon, stitched across the edge of the wall base at the centre.
The ribbon is folded in half, and slip stitched to the edge of the embroidered base.
Then the lining for the lid is attached with tiny slip stitches, covering the ribbon except for a small piece left exposed to allow the lid to close neatly and not too tightly.
I then stitched Knotted Pearl Stitch all around the edges of both the lid, and the top with the eyelet in the centre. I found it easier to work the stitch around the top by turning the spoolholder upside-down, so that the needle could be pushed towards me as I tightened each stitch to make the knots.
The spoolholder is held closed by a cloisonne bead which is attached to the front of the wall, with a buttonhole stitch loop closure on the lid.
This is the spoolholder now it is completed:
A spool of Number 12 Perle thread from DMC sits neatly inside.
The end of the Perle thread is fed through the eyelet, so that lengths can be pulled off the ball of thread with the spoolholder still closed.
Isn’t it pretty?! I’m really pleased with this. I thought, as I was assembling it, that it was too fiddly to make it neatly, but in the end it has come out really well (except for a couple of wrinkles in the lining, but you can’t see those!!).
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Janet Granger's Blog 
You have achieved a beautiful spool holder, I would be delighted with it if I had made it. You have inspired me to have a go. All I’ve done so far is the pincushion. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to share 🙂
Lovely! I usually end up with tangled loose ends coming from my pearl cotton spools… what a beautiful way to prevent it.
I love this! I’m still accumulating bits to put the set together. Thanks for the inspiration!
It is beautiful and so well put together. I love the edges. What do you use the Number 12 Perle thread from DMC for? If and when I get to do this item, I wonder what I would keep inside.
Thank you! I use number 12 Perle thread quite often – usually to lace together the edges of 3D embroidered boxes and so on. I also use it to lace fabric onto mount board if I’m framing small pictures – it’s very strong stuff! You could keep a thimble or a wax block for waxing thread inside the holder, if you didn’t want to use it for keeping a spool of thread in.
Very useful, your information. I have been looking for a box for which I will have to lace up the embroidery.
Gorgeous finishing!
That’s so pretty, I love it. You’ve inspired me to have a go, too. I hope it’s OK to pin it on my sewing board (I’ll keep the link intact). If mine comes out half as nice as yours I’ll be delighted!
Yes, with a link back, that’ll be fine – thanks!
Hello – Please advise me when your book with the spool holder comes out again. Thank you so very much.
Hi, it’s not my book, it’s by Carolyn Pearce. The book is out of print at the moment, and although the publishers (used to be Country Bumpkin, but they’re now called Create in Stitch, in Australia http://www.createinstitch.com.au/), used to have a note on their website saying the book was being reprinted, even that message has now been taken off, so maybe it won’t be reprinted now, which is a real shame.
The book is now back in print (2021), with a new 10th Anniversary Edition, published by Inspirations. I just purchased it from the Book Depository in the UK.