I have to limit time spent on Instagram as it's addictive. Once you start scrolling through the endlessly inventive creations on there, it's so hard to stop. On one of those browsing sessions I came across a beautiful plump pincushion - made by Heidi Parkes - and I couldn't resist making my own version of it. I'm calling this a pouffe pincushion as the shape reminds me of the overstuffed padded footrests that cluttered up lounges, maybe in the Seventies? I'm not sure of the period they were popular, but I bet you'd find 'em in any trendy vintage furniture sale. Anyway, here's how to make one: As with lots of my projects, it started with unbleached calico to use as a base. I cut out a circle of it, using a teaplate as a template. Then a slightly larger piece of purple material, something soft and easy to stitch into. Pinned the two together and began sewing lines of simple running stitch across the circle. It's an ideal way to use up all those odd strands of embroidery thread. You know when you've separated out two strands to use, then have the remaining four strands leftover, destined to lie in a tangle on your worktable. Here's the use for them. Once you've covered the surface, then you sew a running stitch around the outer edge and pull that into a gather. As you would with making a yo-yo / Suffolk Puff. Next up, it's time to stuff your pincushion. Put plenty of filling in there, don't be stingy. I used tiny scraps of material and thread ends, but you could use polyester wadding instead or even crushed walnut shells. Once you've packed it with lots of stuffing, tighten the gathering stitches and firmly sew the gap closed. Or as near to closed as it'll get. Then cut out a circle of felt in whatever colour you'd prefer, matching or contrasting as the mood takes you. I added a dab of fabric glue underneath the felt to keep it in place while I sewed a blanket stitch around the felt circle. I added more decorative stitching with this multi-coloured spiral, then popped a button on for that finishing touch. Here's one side of the finished pincushion, and below is the other side with the button attached, nestling in a saucer with my Pocket Purse and my boro inspired coin purse.
I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out....
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