Tip of the Day May 30, 2009

Thimble in a Can

This is a quick and easy craft that even young children can help with. These little containers are a fun idea for a gift for the needleworker or sewer and because they are so quick and easy to make, and very inexpensive they make really good fete and stall stock too. Use up all those cute scraps of fabric and ribbon you have stashed and they will be even cheaper to make.

Materials needed:

• 1 x 35mm film canister (or a pill bottle about the same size)
• 1m narrow ribbon (or desired length)
• Fabric (10.5cmX 5cm or size of your container)
• Glue
• 1 thimble

Instructions:

1. Turn your film container upside down and centre the ribbon onto the bottom of the film container. Glue it onto the bottom and the sides only leaving the long ends hanging loose. Let glue dry.
2. Run a bead of glue along the long edge of the container and glue the edge of the fabric down.
3. Make sure the top edge of the fabric is lined up against the top edge of the film container. Continue to glue the rest of the fabric to the container and let dry.
4. Clip the edges of the bottom of the fabric about every 1cm up to the bottom edge of the film container.
5. Glue all these little pieces down towards the centre of the bottom of the film container.
6. Draw a circle on paper the size of the bottom of the container.
7. Pin the paper circle onto a little piece of fabric and cut it out.
8. Glue this to the bottom of the film container to cover all the little edges you glued down. Let thoroughly dry.
9. Knot the two loose ends of the ribbon together to make a necklace out of your creation.
10. Put the thimble into the container, replace the lid onto the top of the container, and there you have a "Thimble in a Can" to wear around your neck.