If you’ve followed my work, then you’ll probably no one thing for sure: I love a good needle minder (A.K.A. a needle keeper) – you can spot them on nearly any work in progress photo that I post. They’re the perfect little accessory for your work in progress project. You can share just an extra bit of personality this way. I tend to swap between my beetlejuice, armadillos, and my Scotland needle minders.
I’ve purchased a few needle minders on Etsy, but the majority of the ones that I own have been hand made from existing enamel pins that I loved. It would seem like making a needle minder would be a difficult task, but it’s not too difficult if you have the correct tools. I definitely recommend using safety goggles and gloves throughout the process.
Shall we dig into it then?
You’ll want to gather the following supplies:
- A dremel with the following attachments: rounded grinding stone tip and wheel tip.
- Pliers
- 10mm x 3mm magnets
- E6000 glue or a similar strong craft glue
- Safety wear like goggles and gloves
- Enamel Pin(s) of your choice
Step 1:
Start by using your pliers to snip the prongs off of the enamel pin. Be sure we wear safety goggles during this step. You don’t want anything flying in your eyes!
Step 2:
Shave down the remainder of the prong. This is when you’ll use your dremel with the wheel tip. At an angle, shave off the rest of the backing.
Step 3:
Now you will swap to the rounded grinding stone tip on your dremel and smooth out the rest of the enamel pin. It doesn’t have to be completely flat, just make sure that there’s no pointy areas that your fabric will catch on.
Step 4:
Grab your glue and put a pea sized dot on the back of your enamel pin. Then grab one of your magnets and place it on the glue. This step can be a little bit fiddly while trying not to put your fingers in the glue, but you’ll manage.
Leave your needle minder to cure in a well ventilated area for 24 hours. After this you’re all set to use your needle minder, all you need is a second magnet!
Looking for a video of the process? Then check out my Reel on Instagram where I take you through the process step-by-step. Don’t forget to follow my Instagram while you’re visiting my page. I often post photos and reels of what I’m working on at a given time.
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