Patriotic Flag & Eagle Needle Book Kit Needlepoint * Stitched on Congress Cloth This needle book is stitched in easy needlepoint stitches using DMC embroidery floss on 24 count soft Congress Cloth canvas. It is worked from charts. The kit includes an 8" x 11" piece of 24 count white soft Congress Cloth, oversized full color and black and white charts, a 26 Tapestry needle, a card to sort thread colors and all of the floss needed to complete the design. It requires cardboard, felt and lining fabric to finish (not included), but full finishing instructions are included. I lined mine in silk and I give the source if you would like to do it as I did. The interior lining can be fitted to hold small needlework tools as I did or you can just do simple lining and use it as a needle book. It measures 3 3/4" x 3 1/4" (folded) when finished. Laid out flat is it 7 5/8" x 3 1/4". The style of the needle book is based on an antique American one that I own. Mine is larger and has silk compartments for all sorts of tools as well as wool needle pages, a note book and large gusseted silk pockets. The cover is stitched in Florentine stitch as they often were in the 18th century. The interior finishing alone would have been impossible for me to tackle but it inspired me and I took the idea from it for the silk lining fitted with a silk band to hold small tools. I wanted a patriotic theme, something traditional but new. I loved the look of the waving and draped flags in the old Federalist woodcuts but the shape of the needle book didn’t lend itself to reproducing these flags. The waving stripes had this same feel and allowed space around to add the blue and the stars. The eagle was a natural to add to the front and he was also inspired by 18th century prints.