Pincushion Tutorial and Give Away

Well here it is my first tutorial... A pretty hat pincushion. There is a little story that I would like to share about it first. When I was about 7 or 8 my Uncle Mike died and his partner at the time came to live with us for a while... Aunty Cherie. And this is where my joy for crafting began... she taught me to embroider, and make this pincushion! I am not sure where she is today, but I would like to thank her for sharing her gift with me...

You will need a scrap of fabric about 16" x 8"
A compass
Some firm card (I used the card from a packet of charm squares)
A needle and thread to match your chosen fabric

Draw a 4 3/4" circle onto the card and cut it out, use this for a template(and the base) trace and cut one circle from your fabric...
I fussy cut my fabric so that the flower sprig will feature in the centre...
Next make another template circle 7 3/4" in diameter and cut and trace another piece of fabric...
Sew a gathering stitch about 1/8" around the outside edge of the large circle...
Place the cardboard base in the centre and pull the thread to gather, adjust so the circle looks centred and secure firmly...
Do the same for the smaller circle, this time place a small amount of stuffing in the centre(I like to use wool as this keeps the pins and needles from rusting) and pull the thread to gather like so...
Centre the cushion on top of the cardboard base, sew together by catching a little bit of the cushion fabric and a little bit of the base fabric, secure firmly when done...

Next comes the fun part, decorating it! I used some matching ribbon I had on hand, you could use lace, ric rac, add flowers etc Use a little glue to secure if need be...

Now you know how it's done why not experiment, you can make them bigger or smaller... add some lavender and make a smelly for your drawer... Use an icecream container lid for flexibility add some ribbon for ties and you have a hat for a doll...add a bit of ribbon and hang one on the wall...

Now here comes the give away part... leave a comment on my blog between now and Saturday 11th July and I will draw a name to win this pincushion or I will make one in the colour of your choice, there will be a couple of extra surprises as well...

Oh and any questions about the tutorial please ask...