Sunday, March 08, 2015

Sunday Sew-Day: DIY Pin Cushion & Storage Jar

Look at this. This is boring. This is messy. This is a sewing injury waiting to happen.

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - Before

Now look at this. Much cuter. Much safer. Much more organized.

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - After

To make it, I first collected my supplies...

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - Supplies

I was going for a scrappy look, so I didn't bother measuring or creating pattern pieces. I just started by sewing two of my fabric pieces together and then pressing them open.

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In ProgressScrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In Progress

Then I added a third piece and pressed again.

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In ProgressScrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In Progress

I sewed my three other pieces together in the same way.

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In Progress

Next, I put the two sections together. I tried to line up the points in the center, but clearly, I'm not that adept at piecework yet. Oh well, it just adds to the scrappy look, right?

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In ProgressScrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In Progress

I trimmed my fabric into a circle a couple inches larger than the inner piece of my jar's lid. (If you wanted to only use one piece of fabric for your pin cushion, you could just start here.) Then I basted all the way around the edge.

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In Progress

I stacked the outer ring of the lid (top side downward), then the fabric (face down), then a wad of stuffing, and finally the inner lid piece. As I drew up the basting thread to gather my fabric, I gently pushed the wad of stuffing through the lid ring. I tugged on the edges of the fabric a bit to make sure everything was nice and taut. Then I tied my thread in a knot to keep it from loosening. I simply hid the ends of the thread inside, but you could use a piece of thin cardboard (like a cereal box), cut the same size as the inner lid, to cover the cinched-up fabric. Just slap it on with some hot glue and you're good to go!

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In ProgressScrappy Pin Cushion Jar - In Progress

Finally, I sorted through my pins and stuck each in its corresponding colored fabric. This way, if anyone needs to borrow my pins, they'll know exactly where to put them back.

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar - After

Scrappy Pin Cushion Jar

8 comments:

  1. I love so much that you put the pins in the coordinating color of fabric! :o) And the scrappy, not matching points are much more interesting than perfection.

    JJ
    www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com

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    1. Of course! Where else would the blue pins go but in the blue fabric? :)

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  2. Ahh it is much cuter and safer lol, I'm currently using this little stuff donkey I got in Guatemala as my pin cusion - he works for now (and by that i mean until i stop being lazy and make something like this!)

    Miche from Buttons and Birdcages

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    Replies
    1. Aww, poor little donkey voodoo doll. ;)

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  3. Nice to see I'm not the only one colormatching my pins...

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    Replies
    1. Well, good. Anyone who doesn't color-coordinate their pins is doing it wrong. ;)

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  4. Trust you to take the extra step of creating patchwork for the fabric top - and then colour-coordinate your pins. I love it :)

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    Replies
    1. Hey, if I happened to have had a fabric in my stash with all the right colors for my pins, I wouldn't have bothered with the patchwork. But it was fun to experiment with piecing. Maybe I'll actually get around to making a real quilt some day. Maybe.

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