Monday, March 23, 2009

Wild Flower Pincushion

Here is a great pincushion by Anna Maria Horner (click on her name and it will take you to her blog) and you can find her pattern here. I made this pincushion for my Blogiversary Giveaway but didn't have time to post the pictures. So, here they are and since I made you wait I went ahead and made another one and did a small tutorial to help you out if you have a desire to make it. It was a lot of fun and of course the 2nd one went a lot faster.

Wildflower Pincushion for Sew Cindy.

Notice how I repeated the placement of the pattern in the same place on the fabric and how it created a secondary pattern. I love secondary patterns. They're sooo much fun!

Wildflower Pincushion for Me.

I loved this pincushion so much that I made one for myself.
Not a surprise that I made it in Red, White, and Black, is it?

Here's the underneath side of the pincushions.

Notice how I made each section using a different black on the BWR pincushion. I thought that was a fun way to change up the pattern. That's how my mind works. I always like to add my little flair to an existing pattern if I can.

Same pattern two different looks.


Here are a few sewing hints to make the Wildflower Pincushion:

This is what you'll need to make the Wildflower Pincushion.

I traced just 8 of the 16 petals, then folded the remaining length of fabric in half with right sides together. Pin the two fabrics together in the center of each petal.

Here's one of my Favorite Sewing/Quilting TIPS:


Do not cut out the individual petals.
It is much easier to sew a larger piece of fabric with no bias than it is to sew the petal while turning it and keeping the petal pieces from shifting.



I used my 1/4" foot and lined up the outside edge of the foot along the inside of the traced line. Then sew the 1/4" seam.



Here are your pieces ready to assemble after you cut out the petals.



Here's another one of my tips:

While you're cutting out the petals you can go ahead and clip the curves at the same time. This will save yourself time having to clean up all the clippings.



Here are the pieces clipped, sewn, and ready to put together.



Once you assemble the pincushion you will partially sew on the bottom circle and then fill it with whatever you'd like to use. Then continue sewing the pincushion closed using a close tight stitch until done. I like to fill my pincushions with part silica sand and part fiberfill. You can use whatever works for you.


25 comments:

Barb said...

Thanks for the tut....it was great to see all the tips and learn different ways of doing things. I think I will meander over there and take a look... Thanks again.

life in red shoes said...

Thanks for the great tips, I would have never thought to sew around the petalss and THEN cut them out.
Oh no, I would have cut out all those itty bitty pieces and then run over my fingers a few times with the machine while gingerly trying to feed them through...1 at a time.
I have so much to learn.

Material Mary said...

Kim, the pincushions turned out gorgeous. Thanks for the inside information on how to assemble. Some of our quilting really does rely on our years of sewing experience. I have found this true with curved seams, etc.
Mary

Betsy said...

great tutorial Kim.

Kaye said...

Good job Kim, I love all the different pin cushions and will definately add this one to my growing collection. You hints are great and make so much sense. Thanks again

Anne said...

Sew CUTE!

KittsKrafts said...

They turned out great! That is by far the most darling pin cushion pattern I have ever seen. Thanks so much for the tip about sewing the petals before cutting! I love how you got the secondary pattern thing going! =^..^=

Nedra said...

You are amazing once again. I like to use ground walnut shells for the inside of my pincushions. I buy a big bag at pet stores like Petco. My last bag is called "Lizard Litter/ Desert Blend" and is comprised of Ground English Walnut Shells. They are organic too!

Cindy said...

How cute! I immediately noticed how you had each the design centered on each petal. Both are just adorable.

Thanks for the tutorial, makes for easier assembly when you don't cut the petals before sewing.

I feel quite honored to have something made by you because I think you have such a talent.

Jocelyn said...

Kim, SO cute! I love the pin cushion. Thanks for the tutorial. I will have to make one, as it seems that I am starting a pin cushion collection :-)

Thimbleanna said...

Very Cute Kim! I LOVE that you made one in black and red for yourself!!! Thanks for the tips!

Deb said...

These are adorable! Thank you so much for the tutorial. I think I'm going to have to make a few - to coordinate with different areas of the house!

Nancy said...

Oh thank you for sharing your hints. I printed the pattern off and your instructions. Going to put these on the list for summmer when school is out.

Hugs!

Sherri said...

Thanks for the tip on sewing the petal seams before cutting them out...what a terrific idea!

Quilting Queen said...

These are sooo cute. I was thinking of making one and now I definately will. I just have one question, Do you ever sleep? You always have so many darling things on your blog that you have made.

Joy said...

Well these are just gorgeous, thanks so much for the tut ... can't wait to make my own :o).
Hugs,
Joy :o)

Anina said...

So cute! Thanks for the tips.

Dawn said...

Great tips!! Thanks for sharing!

amy smart said...

Really cute, Kim.

ferne said...

Love your tips! Glad you thought of it before I tried it the hard way. Thanks for sharing and making things easier. I have had this pattern for a while now and you have made it seem easy enough to get it going! I fill my pin cushions with ground walnut hulls (I bought a big bag somewhere) and dried lavender along with some bamboo stuffing. There I shared a little too! Hope mine turn out as cute as yours.

Nanette Merrill said...

This is so cute. Great tips.

Yvonne said...

Love your blog! Those pincushions are very cute!

Arlette said...

Yummy pincushions and the fabrics are all so yummy!
Aloha!

Diane H said...

Thanks so much! Why don't all of our brains figure out such commom sense things, so glad your special
and can help the rest of us along.

Maria Josep said...

ME GUSTARIA QUE ME MANDARAS EL PATRON (PATERN)
MUCHAS GRACIAS
MARIA JOSE
mariajosepa.sempere@gmail.com