Coming in a variety of colors, the Handy Caddy is a practical and inexpensive answer to storing all your needlepoint tools and accessories.
It’s made of clear plastic and is on a metal frame that folds flat. It’s 8″ high, 11″ wide, and 5″ deep so that it stores lots and you can reach everything.
Lightweight the Handy Caddy won’t weigh you down as fabric bags or metal tins will.
There are six small pockets on the outside with a large central bin.
I found the smaller pockets perfect for things such as laying tools, pens, and my longer scissors. But they didn’t open enough to fit things such as my little tins of needles. They are best to use for long thin tools.
The center pocket is quite roomy, the whole length and depth of the Handy Caddy. There is plenty of room to store your tools and even more. I found that this was a perfect place to store a black kitchen towel I keep to increase contrast.
This all is easy enough to see but I found a great use for it because of the metal frame. Magnetic needle minders could stick on just about anywhere, making it perfect storage. They just clomped one.
You need to think about where you stitch so that you have enough room for the organizer. You need to have a space at least the size of the caddy. For me because the edge of a bookshelf is my main tool storage, this is a problem. THere just isn’t enough room to keep it open. As a result it lives on the floor beside my stitchy chair for now.
Even with this limitation for me, I am so glad I bought a Handy Caddy that now I wonder why I waited so long.
Handy Caddies are available at many needlework shops, scrapbooking shops, and on-line.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
I love my handy caddy so much that I bought a second one which I use in my bathroom to store my makeup and brushes. When I travel I just pick it up and lay it in my suitcase. It is the best!
That’s a fantastic idea!
Keep Stitching,
Janet