DIY Sweet and Simple Pin Cushion

By Jennie Larsen Featured Guest Post / pin cushion

Hello! My name is Carrie and I am so excited to be here at CraftOManiac today! Since this is my first time guest posting here, let me tell you a little bit about myself and my little blog, Hooked on Decorating.


First, why is my blog called Hooked on Decorating? Because I really am a decorating fanatic! If I could spend every waking hour of my day thinking about making over the rooms in my home, transforming my latest furniture find or dreaming up my newest craft project, I would be on “Cloud Nine”!


Also, the main reason that I created my blog is to hopefully inspire others on how to decorate their homes without breaking the bank! I like to make sure that every project that I share with my readers uses thrift store finds or the most inexpensive materials available. It is amazing how great something can look with very little money!

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That said, I have a quick and easy tutorial to share with you today. Recently, I made up this little pin cushion for use on top of my newly painted sewing cabinet. I had found the milk glass vase (below) at a thrift store a while back and I thought it would be perfect to use as a holder for a pin cushion.
This pin cushion is so simple to make. It only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish to complete. You could even make this while sitting on the couch watching your favorite TV show. I love those kind of projects! Don’t you?

 

Supplies You’ll Need:

          • a small glass/wooden dish, a wide-mouthed vase or a teacup
          • polyester batting
          • cotton fabric in the pattern of your choice
          • a plate to use as a template or any other round object
          • an erasable fabric pen or chalk
          • thread
          • a sewing needle
          • scissors

 

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 Step 1: Determining the size of fabric you will need

 Measure the diameter of the opening of your bowl/teacup etc. then double your measurement and add a couple of inches extra for good measure. The excess will help to fill out the inside of your container

  1. I used a small side plate as my circle template but you could also use a plastic pail or cut a circle out of cardboard to use
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 Step 2: Drawing and cutting out your fabric shape

  1. Trace out your circle shape onto your fabric using an erasable fabric pen or a piece of chalk
  2. Cut out your shape (doesn’t need to be perfect, mine isn’t!) and iron your piece of fabric to get out all of the wrinkles

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Step 3: Stitching, filling it up & finishing it off

  1. Thread your sewing needle with a long length of thread and knot the end. The diameter of my circle was 7 inches so I used about a 14-18 inch length of thread so that I would not run out of thread as I was stitching around my circle
  2. Baste loose stitches around the edge of your circle about 1/2 ” from the edge
  3. When you have basted around the entire circle, pull lightly on the thread while holding your piece of fabric in your other hand. Your circle will start to gather to make a little pouch
  4. Gather your circle evenly all around until there is about a 2-3 inch opening. Then stuff it with a handful of polyester batting until it is entirely full. You can use the end of your finger to push the batting around to make sure that it fills all of the pouch and that your pin cushion is a nice, round-shaped circle
  5. Pull the remaining thread tight to bring all of the gathering together. Stitch your pin cushion closed, knot the ends and cut your excess thread
  6. Place your pin cushion inside your container. You shouldn’t have to secure it inside your container; the batting should help to hold it in. If you do find that your pincushion wants to pop out of your container you could add a piece of Velcro or some double-sided tape at the bottom to help hold it down

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Well there you have it! Easy peasy!

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Below is another pin cushion that I made using a little china jewelry holder that I also found at the thrift store. Isn’t it cute?

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A cost rundown for this project is as follows:

$0.50 Little milk glass vase

$1.00 Fabric from the clearance bin at my local fabric store

$0.00 Polyester batting, needle, thread, erasable pen – free as I already had it.

Total for this project: $1.50!



I love little projects that cost next to nothing, look great and are also useful!


I hope you liked my tutorial and you decide to give it a try sometime. I’m sure you’ll agree that this pin cushion would be a welcome replacement for the old, tired tomato pin cushion that you may still have stuffed into the back of your sewing cabinet drawer.


If you like to sew, this is a perfect way to use up all of those little vases and teacups that you will sometimes find at thrift stores and garage sales. They are too cute to pass up but they somehow get lost amongst the other items displayed in your home. You know what I’m talking about, right?


Take those small vases and teacups out of your china cabinet and make them useful again. Turn them into a pin cushion or two!


I would love it if you would stop by my blog some time to say “hi” and check out some of my other tutorials and projects I have shared. You can also find me hanging out on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter on a regular basis! It’s great making new friends!



Thanks Jen for inviting me to share my DIY pin cushion project with your readers! I had so much fun!


Thank you Carrie, its super cute and simple. I LOVE IT.  JEN