Our culture applauds what is produced or what can be measured; it applauds what can be seen.

And yet much of our lives, perhaps some of the most formative parts, aren’t seen and are therefore not applauded. This can make it easy to rush to what can be seen as we strive for the recognition we all long for on some level.

You may feel like you’re wasting your time collecting just the right supplies, transferring the design or placing foundation stitches that will be covered as your work progresses, but much of the end result depends on these tasks and how much time you’re willing to devote to them.

There’s a richness to be found in the unseen, the giving of ourselves to a task that will be applauded by no-one other than ourselves. Giving everything to this part of the process will ensure that what is seen is worthy of the applause it receives.

So, go on, indulge the richness of the unseen and see where it takes both your life and your stitching!

One of the all-time favourite childhood fantasies is believing in the Tooth Fairy. That unforgettable moment when little boys and girls chose a special place to leave their recently fallen tooth before going to sleep, then waking in the morning to find a magical exchange has taken place.

While tradition suggests leaving the tooth under the child’s pillow is a good idea, when one considers the practicalities of the ‘Tooth Fairy’ successfully locating the tooth and replacing it with a gift, all the while trying to avoid waking the sleeping child, there must be a better way.

And a better way there is: ‘The Tooth Fairy’ by Betsy Morgan from Inspirations #99. With Betsy’s reputation for creating projects that exude style and elegance yet are practical in every way, who better to solve this problem for us than her?

Designed to hold a single tooth, both boxes contain a tiny biscornu cushion with a perfect centre indentation. Choose from a basket of colourful daisies, poppies and heartsease, or a seaside theme with a lighthouse and all manner of sea creatures.

We caught up with Betsy recently to learn more about ‘The Tooth Fairy’.

What a fabulous idea for a needlework project, where did it come from?

‘The idea for the boxes actually came from Susan O’Connor. She liked the box with a drawer that featured in ‘Can’t See the Forest’ from Inspirations #96 and suggested I do smaller versions as tooth fairy boxes - one for a girl and one for a boy.’

One of the aspects we particularly appreciate is that the motifs are more mature in their design, what was your inspiration for these?

‘The designs on the boxes are ‘mature’ mainly because I didn’t want anything cartoonish. I wanted the girl’s box to be pretty and the boy’s to be fun. I had several ideas, like doing a parade of animals around the boy’s box, but ultimately decided that a beach theme was the way to go.’

What were some of the challenges you faced when making the boxes?

‘I think the hardest part from a design perspective was getting the flowers in the basket to continue from the sides of the box up onto the top and around corners so that it looks like the basket really is filled with three-dimensional flowers.’

Do you have any hints or tips for our readers who are thinking about stitching their own Tooth Fairy boxes?

‘The best tip I have is to measure very carefully when preparing all of the various pieces before construction. The drawer is the most difficult part to make and it needs to fit snugly into the box.’

Thanks so much Betsy, we really appreciate your time.

‘My pleasure – but now I have a question: numerous people have asked me if the little teeth in the photos are real and if so, where did you get them?’

That’s a great question! So yes, the teeth are real and they came from a friend of our stylist, who had kept all her children’s teeth over the years. It sparked much discussion on the photo shoot with some of the crew also hearing about mothers who keep all their kids’ teeth. Makes it handy for a photo shoot that calls for ‘shot of kids tooth on stitched biscornu’!

So, there you go – now you have the inside scoop on both ‘The Tooth Fairy’ project and whether the teeth in the photo are real! And just for the record, no teeth were pulled or harmed during filming.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

The Tooth Fairy by Betsy Morgan is two adorable counted work boxes for special tooth fairy deliveries.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for The Tooth Fairy: Seaside includes everything you need to re-create this special box: Fabric (unprinted), interfacing, buttons, bead, comic board, embroidery threads and needles.

Inspired by Betsy Morgan’s Tooth Fairy Boxes, this week we’re sharing a collection of boxes that the Inspirations Community have fashioned from their needles and threads.

Oh, to be small enough to find ourselves walking through your magical garden Jean! We love both the creativity and skill that has gone into creating such an enchanting allotment.

Jenny, we love the delicate outline of the dragonfly you’ve been able to create with wire and beads - so simple, yet incredibly effective!

‘In fact, when I am not gardening I am embroidering!’

‘I have recently created a Knot Garden as well as Playtime for Teddy Bears which is a small sewing box.’

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Sweete Bag by Victoria Laine is a stunning Elizabethan sweet bag featuring flower and bird motifs.

~ Nara Lee ~

Stay informed of upcoming needlework events taking place all around the world in our new What’s On page on the Inspirations Studios Website HERE.