The gallery

Sewing and needlework

A lot of my customers are stitchers, and over the years a number of pieces have been shaped around the way they work — keeping scissors, thread, buttons, and a project in progress together, in view, and close at hand. Each is built start to finish by my own hands from maple, birch, or ash milled on-site, with quartersawn Eastern white pine and copper tacks.

  • 8" Round recessed lid box

  • Sewing carrier with papered interior

  • Shaker pin cushion base in red milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    The pin cushion base in hand

Needlework boxes
Recessed lids

A lid made to frame needlework

The lid on these is recessed for a reason: the top board sits ¼″ down into the rim so you can mount a finished piece of needlework right into the cover — the box becomes the frame.

A note if you're mounting work: because these lids are built for inserts, you may see small spaces where the top board meets the band. That's normal for the style, and it's fully covered once your piece is installed. You'll need an insert to attach your needlework — not included; a piece of foam core board from any craft supplier works well.

Shipping is included in every price on this page.

I ship within the United States only.

  • Sewing Carrier

    9¾ × 7 × 2½ in (7 with handle)
    $75

    See examples
  • Button Box

    7½ × 5 × 1¾ in
    $52

    See examples
  • Size #1 Recessed-Lid Oval

    5 × 3 × 2 in
    $44

    See examples
  • Size #3 Recessed-Lid Oval

    7½ × 5 × 3 in
    $54

    See examples
  • 6″ Round, Recessed Lid

    6½ × 6½ × 3½ in
    $72

    See examples
  • 8″ Round, Recessed Lid

    8 × 8 × 3½ in
    $88

    See examples
  • Pin Cushion Base

    4 × 4 × 1½ in
    $38

    See examples

The colors

The colors, shown across the needlework pieces.

  • Shaker Oval Box with Recessed Lid for Needlework, Size #3, LeHays Shaker Boxes, Red Milk Paint Finish, Front View

    Shown in red milk paint — Size #3 recessed-lid box

  • Shaker pin cushion base in pumpkin milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in pumpkin milk paint — pin cushion base

  • Shaker Oval Box with Recessed Lid for Needlework, Size #3, LeHays Shaker Boxes, Yellow Milk Paint Finish, Front View

    Shown in yellow milk paint — Size #3 recessed-lid box

  • Handcrafted wooden basket in green, ideal as a shaker carrier or sewing organizer for desktop organization.

    Shown in green milk paint — sewing carrier

  • Shaker Oval Box with Recessed Lid for Needlework, Size #3, LeHays Shaker Boxes, Blue Milk Paint Finish, Front View

    Shown in blue milk paint — Size #3 recessed-lid box

  • Shaker sewing carrier in black milk paint — handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes in Embden, Maine

    Shown in black milk paint — sewing carrier

  • Shaker pin cushion base in grey milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in grey milk paint — pin cushion base

  • Shaker Oval Box with Recessed Lid for Needlework, Size #3, LeHays Shaker Boxes, Sea Green Milk Paint Finish, Front View

    Shown in sea green milk paint — Size #3 recessed-lid box

  • Size #3 Shaker oval button box in antiqued natural finish — handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes in Embden, Maine

    Shown in an antiqued natural finish — Button Box

How they're finished

Painted pieces get a few coats of milk paint — as many as the color needs to cover fully — then two coats of tung oil. Natural pieces are dyed for an antiqued look, then finished with five coats of tung oil. These finishes are meant to deepen and improve with handling and age.