Today while sewing away I was getting fed up of having pins scattered all over the place so stopped what I was doing and made this swan pincushion. I think it took less than fifteen minutes to make.
I bought this little china swan about 20 years ago in a one pound shop and never really had it on display so I decided to turn it into a pincushion.
Here I'll show you how I made it but don't worry that you don't have a swan because you can use anything you have like a china cup or any pretty container.
After choosing the fabric which takes me longer than making something, I found a plate to draw a circle around. Just as a guide, measure the diameter of your cup or whatever you're using and then double that for the diameter of your fabric. The diameter of my swan was 4 inches so the diameter of my fabric circle is 8 inches.
Cut out your circle, thread your needle knotting the two ends together. I prefer to use double thread to make it stronger when pulling the ends together. Do a running stitch all the way around the perimeter and about a quarter of an inch in from the edge. Don't worry if your stitching isn't even, it won't be seen. Add some poly stuffing before you pull the thread to gather it up completely.
Then start to pull on the two ends of the thread so you still have a gap large enough to add more poly stuffing. Tie the two ends of thread together.
Be generous and stuff it as much as you possibly can. When you're happy that it's stuffed enough, with the long ends left from your tied thread, sew a few stitches across the opening to hold the stuffing in.
Now you're ready to attach it to your cup or whatever you're using.
I covered the edge of my swan with hot glue. Don't put it too close to the edge as you don't want the glue to show.
Press your pincushion in well and hold for a while until the glue cools. It only takes a minute or two. Stick in your pins and that's it.
I think you'll agree it looks a lot better than my scattered pins.
LOvely and pratical, Maria!Thanks for sharing tutorial!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week!
Hugs from Portugal,
Ana Love Craft
www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com
Maria that is a pretty fabric and pretty swan too. Be sure and check out the pincushion blog hop in September for more pincushion inspiration. I'm making several pincushions for it...can't have too many pincushions.
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful! Such a clever but simple solution! Just watch you don't knock it off with your elbow! :) x
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty! I use a pear shaped pincushion that I made when I was visiting a friend in Ohio a few years ago - it's weighted with lizzard litter so it has a nice heft to it, and it's big, so it holds lots of pins :D
ReplyDeletesuch a cute idea! I couldn't have one of these, I have a terrible habit of swinging my sewing mat round and knocking everything off my desk... the swan would be smashed within about 4 minutes!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see I am not the only one with a collection of BENT pins! LOLLLLL I really need to make myself some pretty cushions for my pins rather than the ugly ones I bought! LOLL
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