Instructions
Two 5" squares (for the front and back)
Two 5" squares of muslin or any fabric that you don't mind never being seen again :)(for inside)
Place one muslin square down. On top of that place your two outside pieces right sides together. Top that with the other piece of muslin.
Machine or hand stitch around the outside leaving about a 1" opening in the middle of one side. I left my opening just large enough to fit my funnel in. It made it a little more challenging to turn right side out, but it made it easier to fill fully.
Turn right side out through opening. I found the easiest way to do this was to take my finger and poke one of the bottom corners out through the opening. Grab the corner and gently pull it through. Then you can start pushing the rest through. You can clip your corners before turning if you wish. With this project I didn't find that it made much of a difference. I used a large blunt knitting needle to push my corners all the way out.
Now you're ready to fill your pillow. I used crushed walnut shells that I purchased at a local pet store in the reptile section. I think it makes a nice weighted pin cushion/pillow and it also helps to keep your pins and needles sharp. The down side is unless you plan on making a lot of pin cushions or sharing the bag with your friends then you're going to have a huge bag of crushed walnut shells sitting around your house. You can also use polyfil and if that's the case then you don't need the muslin lining. The lining is to keep the crushed walnut shells from working their way through the outer fabric. Either way you want to fill your pillow up as full as you can. Make it so full that you can just barely sew it closed.
Whipstitch your opening closed. I found the easiest way to accomplish this with an overstuffed pillow is to hold the very edge between my thumb and forefinger just to the right of the opening. That way nothing got displaced. This won't be as much of an issue if you use polyfil.
That's it. It's super simple, fast, and a great way to use those charm pack orphans or scraps of fabric.
Two 5" squares (for the front and back)
Two 5" squares of muslin or any fabric that you don't mind never being seen again :)(for inside)
Place one muslin square down. On top of that place your two outside pieces right sides together. Top that with the other piece of muslin.
Machine or hand stitch around the outside leaving about a 1" opening in the middle of one side. ...
Read full instructions »
Difficulty:
Category: Sewing
Type of item: Functional
For: Other
Style: Casual,
Whimsical,
Cute
Materials
cotton fabric, muslin, thread, crushed walnut shells
What was your inspiration?
I needed pin cushions for a group of senior ladies who are meeting twice a month to learn how to quilt. I want something that would be easy to stick pins in and that wouldn't roll.
What are you most proud of?
This project is super simple and fast. It's a great way to use up scraps or orphan charm squares.
What advice would you give someone starting this project?
Have fun!
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