Sewing and needlework

Size #3 Shaker Oval Box with Recessed Lid

7½ × 5 × 3 in — $54

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.

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, in antiqued natural finish with recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in an antiqued natural finish

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with red finish and recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in red milk paint

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with black finish and recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in black milk paint

  • Size #3 Shaker oval box with recessed lid in blue milk paint — handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes in Embden, Maine

    Shown in blue milk paint

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with green finish and recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in green milk paint

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with grey finish and recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in grey milk paint

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with pumpkin finish and recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in pumpkin milk paint

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with sea green finish and recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in sea green milk paint

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with yellow finish and recessed lid for displaying finished needlework – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in yellow milk paint

  • Shaker Oval Box, Size #3, with needlework installed – handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Needlework mounted in the cover, by Lauralee Spence

  • Size #3 Shaker oval box with recessed lid held in hand to show scale — handcrafted by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes in Embden, Maine

    In hand, for scale

Craftsman shaping swallowtail joints for a handcrafted Shaker box in Maine, perfect for needlework and sewing storage.
Construction

How these pieces are made

Every piece starts as a log, bought through local woodsmen here in Maine and milled right on my property. Bands of quartersawn maple, birch, or ash, tops and bottoms of quartersawn Eastern white pine. The swallowtail joints are cut one at a time by hand and fastened with copper tacks made on original 19th-century machines.

Painted pieces come in red, pumpkin, yellow, green, blue, grey, black, or sea green, each sealed with two coats of pure tung oil. Natural pieces are dyed to an antiqued tone and sealed with five coats. The copper tacks are darkened for an aged look, and following tradition, the bottom of each painted piece is left unpainted, then dyed and oiled to an aged patina.