I don’t know about you, but I’ve been stuck in a rut when it comes to my pin cushion. I’ve been toting around my good ole tomato pin cushion for eons. Nothing wrong that that. It’s just what I grew up using and it kind of stuck. Today, you can find many shapes of pin cushions in a variety of styles. In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make an easy peasy pin cushion using scraps from your stash.
What you’ll need:
(4) 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ squares
(1) 3/4″ round button
Polyfil or other stuffing
Pins, needle and coordinating thread
- Lay our your squares in two rows.
2. Place right sides together and stitch.
3. Open and press your seams in opposite directions.
4. Stitch rows together, matching seams. Press in either direction. And you have a 4-patch block,
5. Now bring the right sides together to form a rectangle. Pin in place on the left and right sides.
6. Stitch the sides.
7. Do not turn inside out at this point. Open up your pocket so that the seams you just sewed meet. (short side to short side) Match seams and pin in place. Stitch across the top – leaving a one and a half inch opening anywhere along the top.
8. I left my opening at the corner. But you can make your opening in the middle or anywhere you like.
9. Push the inside out through the opening. Poke the corners out so they are pointed. Here you can see the opening left when your pin cushion is pulled right side out.
10. Now it’s time to grab your polyfil and start stuffing. Tear off small, manageable pieces and begin stuffing the polyfil into opening. Stuff to the corners and the middle of the pin cushion. Fill it pretty tight.
11. Once you are happy with the amount of stuffing, it’s time to sew up the opening. Fold in 1/4 inch on each raw edge and sew the opening closed. I used a simple whip stitch in coordinating thread. This is the bottom of your pin cushion.
12. Now it’s time to sew on the button. I chose a flat button rather than one with a shank bottom. Place your button on the top of your pin cushion in the middle where the four corners meet. Proceed to sew on the button.
NOTE: I suggest using floss or using 3-4 strands of thread in your needle. You will need to pull the thread tight so that the button sinks down into the pin cushion. The floss is pretty strong and can take the stress of pulling. I used 4 strands of Aurifil 40wt thread, because I did not have floss and it worked perfectly. If you want to find Aurifil threads and floss, click my affiliate link here,
You did it. These babies are so quick and easy to make a I made several to give away as gifts. And the beauty of it is you used fabric from your stash! So have fun and happy sewing….and pinning.
Mary
