The Most Beautiful Étui

I had good news this week — I learned what my quarterly bonus would be, which turned out to be a very nice one. As a treat for myself, I decided to spend part of the bonus on some lovely needlework supplies. So I turned to Etsy, which is where I found The Most Beautiful Étui:

Look at that gorgeous piping and quilting on the lid! It's so well done.

This particular étui was made by Sandy McDonald of Luminosity Designs. Typically, her sewing box étuis are in very bright colors (she also takes custom orders), but I loved the more subtle, country French colors of this one. They were just so me. And once you take the lid off, the inside is even more glorious:

Look at that lovely pale golden color! It's so quietly cheerful, so elegantly pleasing. I am in raptures over this delightful little étui. The dark gold silk cord to pull the sides together or let them down is easy to use and works beautifully. It also came with this cute little measuring tape, which attaches with Velcro to one of the sides:

And the matching pin cushion, which also attaches with Velcro, has a nice strip of felt underneath for storing needles:

This étui is the perfect size. From hexagonal corner to hexagonal corner, it's nearly 9 inches in diameter when the sides are closed up. From straight side to straight side, it's about 7.5 inches. With the lid on, the whole thing is 6 inches tall. So it's not too big or bulky, but it definitely holds a lot and keeps my embroidery/sewing supplies neat and orderly. And I love that the sides lower so you can find things easily. It's just so convenient.

But the thing I was most impressed by was the craftmanship. Sandy's stitching is simply beautiful — and mostly invisible. The whole thing is put together so well. I have no hesitation in saying that this étui was worth every penny. You could perhaps find or make an étui for less, but I doubt you could find a more well made one. Certainly I could not have sewn one this well myself — not with the beautiful piping and quilting on the lid and the little gathered pockets and elastic straps inside.

And it shipped so quickly (for free, I might add). I ordered it on Sunday, it went out Monday, and even with the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, it arrived by Friday. I couldn't be happier with it.

In addition to the etui, I ordered a handcrafted bloodwood and abalone-inset aficot and matching laying tool from another Etsy shop, but those have to be custom made, so I probably won't have them for another six to eight weeks. But think how charming it will be when they arrive and I can store them in my lovely étui! 😉