Thursday, June 13, 2013

Witches Stitches - Quick Pincushion


Quick Pincushion

When in antique and collectable shops I see so many great tarnished silver plate pieces. The small sugar pots some times have no lid and can be bought at a reduced price.  I have always liked them but could  never figure out what to do with them. I bought one the other day with a nice worn look and thought it would make a great base for a pincushion.

I found a piece of an old cutter quilt I then I placed the sugar bowl in the center of the piece and drew a circle around the bowl about 4” out around the entire thing.  Cut out your circle of fabric. If you want an older look for your chosen fabric tea dye it. (I had instructions on how to do this in my past posts). If you choose this step wait till the fabric dries before you move on to the next step. 

Thread a needle with a strong thread, button thread works well. Hand sew a running stitch around the outside edge of the circle. Take a handful of fiberfill and place it in the middle of the fabric. Pull the thread tight so the fabric gathers. You will have a ball. If you need to add more fiber fill loosen the thread a bit and add as much as you need.  Now take your ball of fabric and sit it on the base. If you are happy with how it looks it is time to secure it to the base. You can do this with a line of white glue right inside the rim. Now place your ball of fabric in and let it set until dry.

After it is dry you can add little touches. A few old buttons stuck on with an old hatpin. A thimble attached with an old ribbon. Anything you choose. This is something that looks great on a shelf but it also very usable.

If you have any questions please give me a shout. Thanks for reading, Faith