Birds of a Feather: Four Pincushions

Inbetween larger projects I love stitching some smaller projects. Although it’s awesome to see a large piece slowly (very slowly) develop underneath your fingers, I guess we sometimes need some instant gratification. Pincushions are perfect to stitch up in a day or so, and they’re very decorative! As I was designing some small bird designs, I thought I should develop them further. The result is Birds of a Feather, a set of 4 pincushions in different sizes.

In the following photos you can see the pincushions, and also the way in which I stitch the design, and fill the pincushion up. If you want to make yours just as I have, follow the following easy steps to make your very own pincushions. The great thing about stitching them up in this way is that you don’t have to turn them inside out, as you’ll be stitching right on the edge of your work!

1. Get the pattern from my Etsy shop, here.
2. Stitch your design on your chosen material. I stitched mine on 32ct linen by Zweigart, with Schoolhouse Red threads by The Gentle Art. Make sure that you have enough space on your linen for the front and the back. You want to stitch the back on an equal count piece of linen.
3. Fasten your thread with a knot, and stitch a running stitch around your design. It is very important to make your stitches not too tight, but not too loose either. If you pull the running stitch too tight, it will be very hard to stitch the front and back of your design together. You can chose to stitch with either 1 or 2 strands of thread: I usually stitch mine with just 1 thread.
4. Stitch a 2nd square of exactly the same size, as seen in the 1st picture. This will be the back of your pincushion. Make sure that you fasten the beginning and end of your stitch, preferrably with a knot. This is the stitch that will keep your pincushion together, so you want it to be really secure in place!
5. Now cut your design out. I leave about half an inch (1 cm) of space around the design. Neatly fold the edge to the back of your design, along the running stitch. You want those stitches to lie neatly right on top of your fold.
6. Take the front and the back, and put them together with the right side on the outside. Now start stitching your pieces together by taking up one running stitch from each side, and pulling the thread through. Keep repeating this. Every 10 or so stitches you can pull your thread to fasten your stitching. This way you will create a very neat seam.
7. Leave some space to fill up your design. I choose to fill my pincushions with felting wool, as it is all natural, clean, and gives your work a little bit of weight. Fill as hard or soft as you like. Now continue stitching along the edges, and finish off your thread. Your pincushion is now done!