"Her earnestness was so expressive of her being uneasy without her
work, that Flora answered, 'Well my dear whatever you like best,'
and produced a basket of white handkerchiefs. Little Dorrit gladly
put it by her side, took out her little pocket-housewife, threaded
the needle, and began to hem."

I learned that word in the Army, when a missing button could get you extra duty.I had a packet of needles, olive drab and black thread, plus a pair of miniature scissors in my toiletry case along with my razor, comb and hairbrush.
I have seen the word corrupted to "hussif".

How very, very sweet, Bill! These 'always prepared' types amaze me in my continual state of disorganization.

So, those little packets of thread and needles one occasionally finds in a motel room are house-wifes? (Oh, certainly we wouldn't call them house-wives, would we?)

Surprising things may be found in motel rooms. I once found
remains of an abortion.