Everyone needs their own sewing kit, and that includes my husband. I have lost count of the number of times he’s called home at lunch to say he had ripped the seat of his trousers and had a sweater or jacket tied around his waist for the rest of the day. So last Christmas I thought I would continue the tradition of my family and present him with a little homemade joke gift in his Christmas cracker!

I made my first sewing kit under the tutorship of my mom at the age of 7 or 8, and I still have it and use it. (It’s the little green kit in the photo with the flower on the front). It’s small and convenient to keep in the craft box so I don’t have to go hunting in the awkwardly-placed sewing box. It’s lasted well over the years, and I hope Phil’s does as well.
I didn’t want to have to go out and buy a lot of pellon when all I needed was a little bit, so it was Mom to the rescue once again – she sent me just enough, with a bit to spare in an emergency (aka air mail) envelope so I could get started and have it done in time. It doesn’t really take a long time, but I don’t have a lot of time to work on things without little (or big) eyes watching and spoiling surprises.
The first thing I did was measure my own kit (6cm x 10cm) and then I cut out the pellon in the same dimensions. I cut the pellon a little larger so that I could fold the ‘pages’ over and trim them to the same ‘folded’ size.
Then I chose the colour of felt to use, I decided blue would be good for Phil at work, and I cut this to be about 5mm larger around the edges than the inner pages (thus cutting it to 7cm x 11cm).
Now it was time to take out a needle and some thread and sew the pages into the felt cover. A few minutes later and that was done.
My old sewing kit had a cute little flower button adorning the front of it, but I wanted something a little more masculine for hubby. A browse through my craft box and I found just the thing. I used a little wrench and a screwdriver I had left over from making Father’s Day cards. I used a colourful brad clip from my craft stash to hold the embellishments in place.
Now to fill the kit with the essentials. What did we use to fill the sewing kit?
- a few colourful pins
- safety pins in a couple of sizes
- a couple of needles in different sizes
- a few buttons in common work shirt and trouser colours
- some thread for sewing
To add just a little thread to the kit I cut out two hour-glass shapes from some cardboard and wound the thread around them. One with black thread and one with white.
To keep the buttons and thread in the kit, I enclosed them in a tiny zip-type bag and held it in place with another brad pin (also known as a fold-back pin, I think),
When it was completed I wrapped it in some tissue paper and enclosed it in our Christmas crackers with a little joke and a hat saved from a previous year. When Phil saw what it was he cracked up laughing! It was a success with him! He did indeed take it to work with him and he leaves it in his desk drawer for emergencies. His co-workers also had a good laugh when he showed it off.
It’s already been put to use more than once this year, and I had to plead with Phil to bring it home for the weekend to photograph it. He doesn’t want to be without it in case he needs it. It’s both practical and lovely, a perfect combination for girls, boys, and adults alike. As you can see, these little kits can be made in a variety of creative ways to personalise them.
Have you ever had a clothing malfunction? Then this is the perfect craft for you!
What has been your most embarrassing clothing malfunction?
Do you like felt crafts? We’ve made a felt ice cream cone, and a felt tree ornament. Another cute diy gift is a beaded bracelet. See our felt crafts page for all of our felt crafting ideas!

Anna@The Measured Mom says
Thanks for sharing this with us at After School!
Crystal McClean says
Thanks for hosting such a cool linky! I hope to stop by again in the future.
Eva @ The Multitasking Mummy says
This is a really great idea, the number of times I’ve lost my little sewing kit and have to get out my big sewing kit, annoying! Although, I’m not sure if my husband would know what to do with a sewing kit! My most embarrassing malfunction was when I went to breakfast with my old boss and the stitching came out of the skirt I was wearing below the zip. I’m lucky I caught it before anyone noticed and could cover up with a jacket otherwise everyone would have seen my behind!
Crystal McClean says
Thank you for sharing your clothing mishap, Eva! I’m glad you caught it in time 😉 I’ve just made the mistake of putting away the little kit in the big kit at the top back of the closet…and I need to darn my sock…it will have to wait a few days yet before I risk pulling it out again!
Natalie says
I love this idea as a simple homemade gift! Pinning and sharing next week in my Afterschool round up!
Crystal McClean says
Awesome! I’m glad you like it, and thank you so much for sharing, have a great week 🙂
Adelien says
I had my first sewing kit from Cathay Pasific airline and I was very proud of it when I was 10. Your posting is very inspiring. Pinned already. Thanks
Crystal McClean says
Oh, that must have held lots of memories for you! I have a little cardboard kit from my grandma from a bakery. They used to be common before the current throw-away instead of mend days came along..
Jill @ Called To Be A Mom says
This is a great Christmas Gift! I love it! I can see why your hubby loves it as well!
Crystal McClean says
It was a good joke but practical gift! Though he wouldn’t let me use a photo of him mending his trousers!
Michelle says
This is adorable! My nieces would love it – going on the list for stocking stuffers! 🙂
Crystal McClean says
Have fun personalising it for your niece 🙂
Carli says
Holy cow these are cute! I love them! I don’t sew…at all but my hubby does. I take that back. He “Cloth welds” He says that sounds more manly 🙂
Crystal McClean says
I love that phrase, “Cloth Welding”! I may just adopt it as it sounds more like my style! Thanks so much for the out-loud giggle as I head off to bed 🙂 Have a great week!
Stephanie @ From the Burbs to the Boonies says
That is really cute! I like how it has little “pages” for each thing. And yes, any time you can make someone laugh it is a success 🙂
Crystal McClean says
My Mom has great ideas! I’m lucky my hubby has a good sense of humour with these things 🙂