Pincushion Tutorial

I have a special valentine’s project for you! A Heart Shaped Pincushion! But part of the beauty of this tutorial is that you will be able make any size or shape pincushion because it is all based on a cookie cutter.

Note: Be sure to read all the written instructions as well as the instructions with the picture mosaics.

Supplies:

• one charm pack (really I just use a few charms for this…so a whole charm pack isn’t necessary)

• cookie cutter (clearly I used a heart shaped one…size is your preference)

• Hot Glue gun

• One sheet of fun foam (the stuff in the kid’s craft aisle)

• One sheet of a thin floral foam / Styrofoam (can be found in the floral aisle)

• One bag of Zilla brand lizard litter – crushed walnut shells (one bag will last a LONG time)

Instructions:

Cutting Fabric for the Pincushion

• Pick out your favorite charms and if necessary piece them together to create a large enough piece of fabric for your cookie cutter plus 3″ around. Then follow the directions in the mosaic below.

Cutting Foam for the Pincushion

• Use your cookie cutters to cut out the floral foam to fit exactly inside the cookie cutter. Depending on the foam you use and how sharp your cookie cutters are, you may need a little help from a kitchen knife. Then trace around the cookie cutter onto the fun foam and cut out the exact shape of the cookie cutter for the bottom of the pincushion.

Fitting the Fabric to the Cookie Cutter

• Pull your running stitch slightly to start gathering the fabric and fit it to the shape of the cookie cutter. You will want to shape it so that a small “bowl” is formed on the topside of the cookie cutter/pincushion. Use your hot glue gun and glue the fabric to the inside of the cookie cutter around the whole perimeter.

Filling the Pincushion

• Use the crushed walnut shells to fill the pincushion. Crushed shells create a great weight to the pin cushion and they help keep your pins sharp. The type I used was like a coarse sand. The amount you need will depend on the size of your cookie cutter but I used about a cup for the large one. You will want to hold up your cookie cutter while filling it to make sure that you put enough in to round out what will be the top of the pincushion…that “bowl”.

Putting the Bottom on the Pincushion

• With the charm glued firmly in place, there should be no chance of any filling escaping. But we have two more layers to add to the bottom to make it completely finished and polished. First add the floral foam and hot glue in place. I found that the hot glue actually melted my foam a bit, so I used that to my advantage and created a perfect seal around the perimeter. Then I used hot glue on the fun foam and attached it firmly to the floral foam.

Finishing Details

• You may find you have a bit of a gap now at the bottom of your pincushion or things are not as tidy as you might like. So make it all beautiful again by hot gluing a bit of ribbon or trim around the perimeter of the base.

• Fill with pins and use often! Make them in all shapes and sizes. I made a smaller one for my needles as well. (Although I’m thinking of putting some felt on that one)

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and are inspired to make a pincushion for every season. I’ve already bought more cookie cutters to make more!