A "springy" Sunflower..........

So, do you get the "springy" part of this post? Yep, it's the bedspring that is the basis for this pincushion you see in the photo below........
note: photo and project shared with full permission from Mary the original designer


The idea was inspired by Mary Flanagan in a tutorial that she shared on her website....just click here. I'm a member of the Crazy About Pincushions Group and one of the members posted the link to her site. I thought it was really cute but I had no bedspring. Tammy, a fellow member who lives just an hour away, brought me a bedspring last summer. I spray painted it green and it sat on the TV in my sewing room for six months. Finally, in January when the snow and cold were driving me crazy, I got out the wool I knew I wanted to use and started creating. I am going to show you how I made my version of Mary's Bedspring Pincushion. Before I do that, though, I want you to know that I contacted Mary and have her permission to share this with you. She was very pleased that I had asked her permission and responded with a nice note and said......"Please feel free to post your version of the pincushion and fly with it........this is my original, but it was certainly influenced by some other thing I saw on a bedspring that was not a pincushion." So with Mary's permission, I will show you how I made this little sunflower.
First of all there are no patterns needed but you will have to use your creativity and remember that no two flowers are alike so if one petal is shorter than all the others, who cares?
What do you need?
You need a bedspring. If you can't find one at a thrift shop or in an old boxspring, check out an online upholstery supply source and order one. They aren't very expensive, so go for it. :-)
You will need wool in greens, golds, browns, etc. Just grab a pile of stuff from your stash or go to your favorite shop that carries wool and you will find just what you need. You could also order from Mary's site!!
You need pencil, paper, sewing supplies, sharp scissors, thread, etc.

To begin, you will need to trace the circle that is to be the top of your pincushion onto paper. This is the pattern for the wool circle that is needed to start your pincushion. Using your paper pattern, cut out the wool circle from your color choice and glue it to the top of your bedspring so it looks like what you see in this picture...........
Next, cut a strip of green wool for leaves that is 3-4" wide and approximately 8" long. Exact measurements are not necessary in this project! I made a zig-zag cut right up the center of that strip. You will end up with two strips with points and you can sew them end to end into one long strip.
Take needle and thread and sew a running stitch along the straight edge of this piece. You will see that it is gathered at one end although I am holding it so that you can see how the piece was cut............

At this point, you may choose to use a hot-glue gun to secure the leaves to the pincushion edge.
I chose to stitch the entire pincushion by hand. You can see that I used pins and secured the gathered leaf strip to the rim of the bedspring.

And in the photo below, you can see that I have stitched the leaf strip in place.........

The next step is making the sunflower petals. Cut a strip of wool approximately 8" wide and 14" long. You will use a method similar to how the leaves were made. I made a rough draft petal pattern from a 4" wide strip of paper and you will need to make your pattern for this. You want the petals to be different sizes and shapes, so just think back to grade school and pretend you are working with construction paper and white paste. :-)

In the photo above, my paper pattern is pinned in place...........and in the photo below, you can see that I have cut out one section and that I am ready to trim up a second section. Note the position of the paper on the second set. You don't want the second set of petals to be quite as long as the first, so make the second set about a 1/2" shorter.

As you did with the leaves, you will sew a running stitch along the straight edge of the petal piece. Gather until the petals are just the way you want. If you have too many petals, just cut one out. Not enough, just cut more! Position the first set of petals, then pin, and stitch in place. Then add the second set of petals. And you can glue them if desired.

Cut one circle from your choice of wool to make the pincushion center. I used a saucer from the cupboard as my template. :-)
You also need to make a circle that will serve as a base for the pincushion center. Trace the center area of your flower and then cut a circle from heavy cardboard.

You can use cotton or poly batting for the center of your pincushion. If you wish to use dried walnut shells, stitch up a little pouch filled with them and then cover with your wool circle. I used poly for my project. I wanted this pincushion for purely decorative purposes. I don't plan to actually use it so I don't need a product that will keep my pins sharp.

Sew a running stitch around the wool circle for the flower center.

The photo above was difficult to take. My husband was out-of-town, so you can see that I am trying to stuff the center, gather the edge and take the photo. Get someone to help you with this part, even if you aren't trying to take a picture. LOL!

When the pincushion flower center is stuffed and gathered over the cardboard, secure it with a sturdy knot!!!! Stitch or glue the flower center in place and you will have a finished Sunflower Pincushion just like this...........

I would like a whole garden of these and if I just change the color and the shape of the petal, I could have zinnias, marigolds, pinks, blue bonnets, wild roses and more!!

This was so much fun to make, that I heartily recommend it! A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Mary for the inspiration for this project!!

That's all for tonight, even though I'd like to share more. It was a very busy day! We enjoyed a great anniversary celebration in my Yahoo Wooly Buddies group and this is posted for all of my friends there but I hope you will have fun with it, too! I got good news at the doctor's office regarding my back issues, and ........ I won something really cool ..............tell you more soon........time to get some sleep......

Night all!

Sandi