Right now my sewing room is a complete mess, but I still smile when I see my little pincushion. I thought today would be a wonderful day to bring this tutorial home!
Although I'm normally about quick easy projects, when the holidays come, I like to trade my solitary time at the sewing machine for evenings on the couch with my kids underfoot. Hand work like knitting, crochet and embroidery keeps my hands busy and makes me feel productive while I'm sitting around.
To make this pin cushion-- all you'll need is a hoop, any design, and a backing fabric an inch or two larger than your hoop. My old (ahem-- I mean vintage) hoop is about 5 inches in diameter, but you could certainly use a smaller one to make a smaller cushion.
Then, simply stitch a design that you wouldn't mind stabbing with a few pins. My previous pin cushion was shaped like an owl, and I always felt guilty. For this design, I just did a series of concentric circles in a running stitch.
Now, cut a circle around your design leaving an inch and a half around the design. Cut the same size circle in a backing fabric. I decided to cut an extra circle to line the top since my fabric seemed a little see through.
Now, to turn this into a cushion, baste a gathering stitch around the edge of your embroidered piece.
Gather the circle slightly to give it some shape. Do the same for the bottom circle.
Nest the two circle right sides together and sew with a sewing machine.
Then you can move back to the couch to turn the cushion right side out, stuff, and slip stitch the opening shut.
And then you have a little something for yourself this holiday season..
I've made a few other things for my sewing room lately. If you look closely at the picture above, you'll see that my sewing table has a
cut out for my sewing machine, and I'll be posting about my new sewing caddy next week.
