DIY Network

Pretty Pincushions Everyone needs pincushions—make yours beautiful. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-208

Take something useful—and make it beautiful as well.

Anyone who ever has to thread a needle or pin two pieces of fabric together needs a pincushion—making them a great opportunity to B. Original with your space.

Michele Beschen shows easy ways to create fun, custom pincushions that will help you keep your sewing space organized. They also make great gifts, especially if you present them loaded up with pins, needles and other supplies.

These easy-to-make pincushions use some of the same techniques and principles as larger-scale upholstery, making them a wonderful project for someone who wants to get started covering items with batting and fabric. Scroll down for the details, and B. Original with some fabulous pincushions today.

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Trivet Pincushion

Michele Beschen likes to make pincushions that stand up a bit from the table, so she chose a small trivet as the base for this project. You also can make a pincushion from a simple piece of thin board: Upholster it as normal, then hot glue a piece of felt over the bottom.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Materials:

small trivet with raised base
1"-thick foam
glue gun and glue
batting
sturdy fabric

Note: Select a fabric that will stand up to repeated poking, but that won't dull your pins and needles.

• Cut a piece of 1"-thick foam to fit the top of the trivet and attach with hot glue (figure A).

• Wrap a piece of batting over the foam and around the sides (figure B).

• Cut a piece of fabric large enough to wrap over the top and bottom of the pincushion base.

• Center the fabric over the batting. Wrap and smooth it over the top (figure C).

• Turn the pincushion upside down and gather the fabric underneath.

• Attach the fabric to the bottom of the base. Michele Beschen used a trivet with a wooden base, so she stapled the fabric in place; you also can use hot glue.

• To keep everything even, attach the fabric at one point on the base, then pull the fabric taut and attach at a point opposite the first. Work back and forth across the base, stapling or gluing as you go, instead of around in a circle.

• After the glue sets up, trim the excess fabric and batting from the bottom and dress up your pincushion with ribbons, beads or fabric trim (figure D). Now you have the coolest pincushion on the block!

An old eyeglass case or jewelry box makes a swanky sewing kit.

Traveling Sewing Kit

small, sturdy jewelry box or eyeglass case
batting or polyester fill
fabric
glue gun and glue
felt
trim

• Glue batting or polyester fiberfill to cushion the bottom of the case and the top of the lid.

• Cover the fill material on the lid with fabric, using hot glue to secure it to the edge of the lid, just above the hinges.

• Open the box and pull the fabric around to the underside of the lid. Again, hot glue at the edges (figure E).
  

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  

• Use hot glue to add a piece of felt to the inside of the lid and to apply trim to cover the raw edges (figure F).

• Attach some loops to the underside of the lid to hold your scissors.

The curve of a hair clip makes it a great pincushion base.

Wristlet Pincushion

• Find a large hair clip that has a broad surface on top—you may even find one that already is padded on the top.

• If the clip isn't padded, simply wrap some foam and fabric across the top and secure it with hot glue.

• Clip off the barrette, add some elastic, and you have a handy little pincushion for your wrist!

Other Pincushion Ideas

Keep your eyes open for other ways to B. Original with pincushions: You could upholster a foam half-sphere, mount it on a spool and add trim to make a mushroom-shaped pincushion (figure G). Or, mount an upholstered ball in an antique teacup for a charming Victorian pincushion (figure H).

Figure G

Figure H

Don't let clutter get in the way of your creativity—use these fun pincushions to keep your pins and needles organized in style!