Many years ago, at a holiday craft fair in Portland, I bought an eyeglasses case made from a vintage tie. I’ve been using it ever since to hold my 5″ scissors, having stuffed some batting at the bottom of the case to protect it from the tips of the scissors.

Fast forward to September. I was at the Northwest Quilting Expo (“Portland’s original quilting and sewing festival”) browsing the vendor mall when I spotted some beautiful and unique seam ripper/stiletto tools made by Rick Luoma of Auburn, Washington. (Rick and his wife Julie own offthewallquilt.com, selling products online and at quilt shows.)

Rick makes the handles out of acrylic or wood, and each is one of a kind. I bought one with a purple handle for my friend Vickie S., whose birthday was coming in November. I decided to make a special case for it from a necktie, using my modified scissors case as my guide. Of course the necktie had to be purple, too, because it’s Vickie’s favorite color:

A quick sweep of my button collection yielded the perfect little button for the outside flap. It has a little rhinestone in the center — just the right amount of bling. The case actually closes with a snap, sewn on the inside:

The tool itself is quite wonderful: it has nice heft and is very comfortable to hold. The seam ripper at one end and stiletto at the other have stainless steel handles that tuck into the ends of the holder:

As for the necktie notions case, it couldn’t have been easier to make — it’s all sewn by hand. Would you like to know how to make one? In my next post, I’ll show you!