Making a Mini Teacup Pincushion and Ideas from Others

I like pincushions. I don’t know why as I am not an avid sewer or needle-crafter.

I have the requisite tomato pincushion that I got when I took sewing in junior high school. I remember when the girls HAD TO  take Home Economics (sewing and cooking) and the boys HAD TO take shop classes in school.

My teacup & saucer are 3″ high. The pattern on the fabric reminds me of tic-tac-toe. It looks like red won.  . . . The dragon-fly is a lapel pin I bought in New Zealand. I put it here because the latch never worked and it kept falling off.  . . . On the right are tiny pins perfect for pinning together those small projects.

I have some small teacups. I thought it would be a fun and useful craft to make my own teacup pincushion from one of them. I made one last night and it is now part of my 21 Days of Tea series.

This is the tutorial I followed (from MMM Crafts) to make my own tiny teacup pincushion. I wanted to add steel wool underneath the top layer of my quilt batting. The steel wool keeps the pins sharp.

• So I layered quilt batting (rough cut into the size of my circle which was 5
  

  The coloured bits on the back of the dragon-fly are abalone shell.

  1/2 inches), steel wool, and quilt batting.

• I put this sandwich onto my fabric circle and pulled tight the gathering strings.
• I added more batting until it was stuffed.
• Then I stitched the circle closed.

Your Turn . . .

• Do you have a tomato pincushion? Any other kind?
• When/if you make your own teacup pincushion be sure to let us know here.
• Did you check out any of the pincushion links? If yes, which pincushion(s) are you yearning to make?

I had so much  fun making this. And there are a world of other pincushion patterns to choose from. I wonder what I will do next?

Crafts & Food Made for the 21 Days of Tea series . . . 

• • 7 Tips for Turning a Tea Cup and Saucer into a Candle
  • Heart-Shaped Hand-Sewn Tea Bags
  • Hostess Gift for Tea Party (tea wallets)
  • How to Make an “Eyes on You” Glass Mug
  • How I Made a Teacup Bird-Feeder & 3 Things I Learned
  • Making a Mini Teacup Pincushion
  • Two More Tea Wallets

Here are pincushion instructions and ideas from other crafters . . .

• No sew option
• These tiny world teacup pincushions are works of art.

Of course there are whole Pinterest boards dedicated to pincushions, some are also here, here and here.

Craft Gossip has many pictures and their links to all kinds of pincushions. Check out some that she featured . . .

• A Heart pincushion you can tie onto your sewing basket.
• A pincushion made from a mini frame
• Cupcake shaped pincushions are sweet
• Fashion an African violet pincushion out of a bottle cap. You can’t kill this one.
• This turtle pincushion is to swim for.

21 Days of Tea is after the jump. 

1. Peppermint
2. Sweet & Spicy (cinnamon dominant herbal blend)
3. Zen (lemon grass, spearmint, green tea)
4. Rainforest Red (red rooibos, hibiscus, chicory root, blackberry leaves, orange peel, ginger root, acai)
5. English Breakfast
6. Earl Grey (blend of black teas, oil of bergamot)
7. Tulsi Sweet Rose (blend of tulsi and sweet rose)
8. Pomegranate Raspberry Green Tea (green tea, chamomile, hibiscus flowers, orange peel, citric acid, pomegranate flavor, raspberry flavor, Japanese matcha)
9. Green Moroccan Mint (green tea, spearmint, peppermint, lemongrass) – all organic and fair trade certified
10. Orange Spice Black Tea (blended black tea, orange peel, cinnamon, orange oil, clove flavour)
11. Russian Morning #24 – loose leaf (Russian blend of black China, Ceylon, and India Teas)
12. Green Tea with Blueberries (Green Tea with Nature Identical Blueberry Flavour )
13. Constant Comment (black tea with orange rind, sweet spices)
14. Japanese White Tea Powder
15. Winter Solstice (blend of black teas, spices, vanilla, citrus)
16. Wild Raspberry Hibiscus Herbal Tea  (hibiscus, orange peel, lemongrass, rose hips, raspberry flavour, licorice powder, citric acid)
17. Tangerine Orange Zinger Sweet Iced Tea (hibiscus, rosehips, orange peel, hawthorn, tangerine, rebiana, blackberry leaves)
18. Coconut Chai (Ceylon & Assum Tea, cinnamon, ginger, Island coconut)
19. Honey Vanilla Chai (white tea, black tea, roasted chicory, cinnamon,  ginger, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg, honey)
20. Compare 3 Earl Grey Teas. See Day 6 for ingredients.
21.  Sleepytime Extra (chamomile, tilia estrella flowers, valerian, spearmint, West Indian lemongrass, hawthorn, orange blossoms)