Cobalt Blue Oval Needle Limoges Box with a Rose

Deep cobalt blue wraps this oval needle box, and a painted rose blooms against that rich color. It is a hand-painted porcelain Limoges box, made in Limoges, France, in a form with a long history at the sewing table.

Needlework in Bloom

Long, narrow needle boxes were once a fixture in every sewing basket, and this one honors that tradition with a dressier look. The saturated blue is a classic Limoges color, and setting a rose on it makes the flower glow like a jewel against velvet.

Notes for the Stitching Circle

• Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
• Suits a sewing, rose or cobalt blue collection
• Sits handsomely beside thimble, spool and scissors pieces

Thread, Thimble and Tradition

Small porcelain boxes became fashionable in 18th-century France for keeping snuff, pills and beauty patches, and needle cases followed close behind. Today a box like this looks right on a craft room shelf, next to a quilting frame or in a china cabinet with other blue pieces. It makes a thoughtful present for a quilter, an embroiderer, a seamstress who has hemmed every pair of pants in the family, or a member of a weekly stitching group.