To those who don't know, a "Housewife" is a small sewing kit carried by a soldier, cowboy or any one else traveling. I have a large one that fills a 1 gallon can with a lid that goes with the cook gear. I also have a small one about the size of a small clutch purse that is made of leather that fits nicely in my saddle bags. These can save the day for yourself or a friend if you have a tear. Some thread, a couple of needles, and some cloth to patch with is handy to have. Throw a few buttons in to boot.
I keep my needles in those wooden tooth pick cases from Cracker Barrel resteraunt. If you don't have any of the old wooden spools for thread, these can be found newly made at craft stores. Chuck the spool up with a bolt, a couple of nuts and washers in a varible speed drill and spin them and add thread. These wooden spools seem to really get comment from folks when you have to drag it out to patch an item of clothing.
Any small leathe purse will work fine or even a small cloth bag. These were an important item for anyone traveling with maybe only one set of clothing. Ofcourse back then this was also often used to sew up cuts and tears on men as well as horses.