Change in schedule.........

Due to some unexpected family things, I wasn't able to get my needlecase tutorial finished and posted this Friday. I should have it posted sometime on Saturday. Info on my planned giveaways will be shared, too. Friday was a good day, so was my birthday but just very unexpectedly busy! Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes. Back soon...........

Strawberry Pincushion Tutorial

Before we begin this little tutorial, I must first thank Mariah who hosts the Crazy About Pincushions Yahoo group. Thank you, Mariah, for such a great group!! I have had so much fun since I joined sometime in 2008. I've participated in several swaps and have some lovely pincushions that I've received from members. The recent swap with a Strawberry theme really got me inspired. I love strawberries and can recall my Grandma Goldie picking strawberries in her garden. I tried growing strawberries but the birds enjoyed them before they ever got to my kitchen. Anyway............ Luann, one of the group moderators, came up with the idea for the Strawberry themed swap. Then Mariah posted a picture of a cone-shaped pincushion in a pretty strawberry print fabric with a beautiful bow. Something about it reminded me of an apple pincushion that my Aunt Marie made many years ago. I thought....what if I made a plump strawberry pincushion? And so I did! My first one was a little too long, not plump enough, so I made another one to send to my swap partner, Patti. She loved it. I thought ..... hmmmm......I should do a tutorial on this as it was fun and easy to do. So that's how this came to be. And now you can make one, too.

Here's what you'll need.........
One 8-1/2" square of cotton fabric in a red print for the strawberry (while I used gingham, you can use a print or a tone-on-tone)
One piece of batting
Perle cotton in green and red
One yard wire-edged ribbon
20" narrow red cording
One 4" square wool or woolfelt
Crushed walnut shells (found at your local pet store)
Large eye needle and sharp scissors

There is no pattern for this project. All you have to do is follow my instructions, cut and stitch. Start with your 8-1/2" square of fabric. See in the photo below how I trimmed the square to make what will become a cone shape...............

Note that for the bottom arc, you can measure in from the corners at 2-1/2" and cut the arc shape. This piece does not have to be exact. Remember, no real strawberry is exactly a certain shape. :-)
After you cut you strawberry piece from cotton, spray some Quilt Basting Spray on a batting scrap and then position the strawberry piece.

Next, trim away excess batting to shape of your cotton strawberry piece as shown in photo above.
You will fold over this piece as shown in the photo below.............

The pin .............
and sew a 1/4" seam along this edge.

When you have finished stitching, you'll have a cone shape like the one above.
Next, you'll take a needle and thread it with red Perle cotton (buttonhole twist works, too, just make sure it is a strong thread).  Sew around the end of the cone, then wrap thread around and secure with a knot.

Insert your hand in the cone and push base into your palm. In the final photo, I've put the cone over my hand to show you what your shape should look like.
Thread your needle with green Perle cotton and do a running stitch around the rim of the cone shape. Leave needle and thread in place and set this aside so you can make the leafy top.
Cut a 4" square of wool or woolfelt. Make a paper pattern by folding paper in half, then in half again and cut a pointed flower leaf shape. This doesn't have to be perfect. The tops of real strawberries are all different. :-) I used woolfelt for my leafy top and to get a mottled effect, I dipped a paint brush in bleach and dabbled it on the woolfelt. This removes some color and gives a more natural look. Place your paper pattern on the wool or woolfelt and cut around pattern piece.

Stuffing the cone is next and I used "Walnut Litter" that I bought at the pet store. In some pet stores, it's in the bird section and in others, you'll find it in the lizard stuff. I learned about using crushed walnut shells in the Crazy About Pincushions group. I love the weight they give a piece. And here I should mention.........the reason you need the batting is so the walnut shells will not protrude through your cotton fabric. Don't skip the batting as your pincushion will not have a nice smooth feel to it, if you do.
The cone shape can stand on it's own at this point but I recommend that you use a coffee cup to hold it in place. You don't want it to fall over and spill crushed walnut shells. I know. I speak from experience. :-)

I filled the cone shape about two thirds full. You can add more if needed. You'll want the pincushion to be firm, not squishy.  To keep the crushed walnut shells in place, I cut a 3" diameter circle of batting and place it over the top of the crushed walnut shells................

Now you can gather the thread and pull up the stitches to close the opening. I hope that makes sense. Secure this closing with a few stitches back and forth across the opening. Leave needle and thread in place for the next step........

Take your leafy top and fold it as shown below and cut a very small hole in the center. I got mine a little too large. It should be smaller than what you will see. You will notice the red cording has tape at each end to keep it from fraying when you knot the end......

Tie a knot in the cording as shown below and then insert this loop through the hole in your leafy top...........

Next, you will insert your needle and thread this knotted end and position it on the top of your strawberry.............

You can add a few extra stitches, as shown above, that will secure your leafy top to the strawberry. And now the strawberry is plump, juicy and finished...............

It's time to make the bow. Thread your needle with red Perle cotton. Then take your length of ribbon and fold it in half. Pin the very center of this ribbon to a center marking on a padded mat as shown below (or taped to a cutting mat).

Fold over ribbon about 2-1/2" on each side. Note position on padded mat. Position needle and thread for stitching......

At this point, I life the bow to stitch the center section...........

Fold over a second set of loops as shown above and then stitch through center section. Pull thread tightly so that the loops are secured.

Stitch the bow to the base of the corded loop and into the leaf shape. Tie a knot and you are finished............

Fluff your bow just right, add three pins for good luck and you have a gift for yourself or a favorite stitching friend!

Now, I said there would be a giveaway because I am celebrating three years of blogging fun and also, my birthday. I have a kit for this pincushion and if you leave me your name and e-mail link, someone will be a lucky winner of that kit. You'll also get the supplies needed to make the matching needlecase. That tutorial will be posted tomorrow. Come back then because there will be an additional giveaway, plus another one on Saturday and a special one on Sunday!!  Have a great day everyone!
Sandi

Edit: Winner of the kit for the pincushion and needlecase is Deserae who shared this comment.... I would love to make this pincushion! Happy birthday!
Congratulations! Your kit is on it's way!

Celebration time!

Today is my birthday. :-) I took time out yesterday to do a little celebrating. Janet at Main Street Salon & Tan here in Henderson posted some purses on her page on Facebook. They were on sale. I couldn't resist. I had to check them out. And then I bought a couple and brought them home..........

This pink one was too cute. Maybe it's meant for a younger gal but I think I'm "young at heart". LOL! It's lined with pink and white gingham. And it was half price, just $12.50. Yep, I could not resist.
Then I saw that little green purse and thought "hmmm, sometimes I need just a small purse for summer outings". Yep, bought that one, too and it was only $7.50!  Then I spotted the black patent trimmed roses bag. I love roses. I had been wanting a bag to put my crazy quilt blocks in so I can take them along to stitch on when I'm out and about this summer. Half-price, just $20 and again, I could not resist. This was, after all, a celebration for my birthday. LOL!

I left a few for those of you that live nearby. And if you want to check out Janet's bags on-line, you can find her on Facebook. Just click here.
Now, if you are wondering where my strawberry pincushion tutorial is.......well, it's coming up. It took me way longer to get the photos I wanted and then put them together in order but  they are all done now and I am ready to upload the photos. Blogger is being a bit cranky this morning and I just hope the tutorial photos load smoothly. I think Blogger has a case of the "flu" lately as it has really been "difficult" lately........as many of you know!
Off to post the Strawberry Pincushion Tutorial.............
Sandi

Strawberry Season!

When I was at the grocery story last Friday, I picked up two boxes of strawberries. It's the season for California strawberries and they are just perfect right now! I've been enjoying them at lunch each day. Each time I eat one, I am reminded that I promised I'd share a tutorial for my strawberry pincushion set.

 

I made this set for my swap partner, and I shared what I received, and what I sent, in this post. I noted that at the end of May, I'd do a tutorial when I celebrated my blogging anniversary.  Well, May is over and it's the start of June and all things summery! I'll be serving up the tutorial for the strawberry pincushion tomorrow, June 2. And on Friday, June 3, I'll share a tutorial for the needlecase. And on each of those days there will be a little giveaway. Today, though, I'll be working in my "fabric strawberry patch" and preparing the tutorials. And while I'm working, I'm thinking of another giveaway that is really crazy but I think someone might really like it. Gotta get to work now..........

Sandi

What's on the line this Memorial Day?

I saved this quilt to share today. It's one of my favorites. It's one of five quilts I designed in 2001 and taught it to a group of friends and in Community Education classe. I did the machine piecing and my friend, Sara Peterson, did the beautiful machine quilting...............

The quilt measures about 36" square and can be used as a wall-hanging or a table-topper. You could do it in any color but I especially like it in patriotic red, white and blue!!!  One day this quilt and the other four in the series will get into pattern format. In the meantime, I just enjoy them "on the line", or on the wall or on my dining room table. :-)

This is Memorial Day here in the U.S. It's a day to remember those who have served our nation's military. They've given their time and often their lives in service to others. I appreciate it  immensely!  My dad has been in my thoughts all weekend. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII. My husband served in the Air Force and many of my high school friends served in the Army or Navy during the Vietnam War. War is not what anyone wants. Sometimes it just becomes necessary. My dad often shared stories of WWII. I never minded hearing them. While it's been three years since he passed away, I still miss him greatly.

It was following his death that I began blogging. I took to the "blogosphere" on Memorial Day, 2008. If you go here, you can see that first post.  For a long time I had wanted to share my creative endeavors with others. Blogging helped me to get beyond the pain of losing him. It gave me something to look forward to, a purpose to my days. Sharing with others helped me get beyond myself..........

At first, I didn't know what I was doing. I would ask my son, Devlin, for advice. He had encouraged me that I could blog. He said I didn't really need his help that there was a tutorial for practically every aspect of blogging and I could do this. He was right. And so, on Memorial Day, three years ago I took the leap and began blogging. And I love it !!! I am so glad Devlin was right and that I could do it!  We need to celebrate this occasion so later on this week there will be some fun stuff that I'll be sharing. 

Right now, though, in memory of my dad, I want to share a special page. It's a memorial tribute that Devlin wrote to fellow members of the Black Mustang Car Club, an on-line group for fellow Mustang enthusiasts. Click here if you'd like to read Devlin's tribute to his Grandpa. My dad was just one of thousands of men who served. I am thankful for every man and woman who sacrifices for the well-being of others. May those that are serving today return safely to their loved ones. My prayer is for peace. A simple prayer for peace.............

Wooly Fun Part Two is here..........

Here's the wooly pincushion I made that was inspired by the Wooly Round Robin. I'm going to show you how to take your wooly piece and make it into a plump pincushion.

In my previous post............ I took the wooly round robin piece and used it to make a sewing box cover.  I started by just doing a running stitch around the perimeter of the piece with Perle cotton. See here. You will do the same to get your pincushion started. In the photo below, I've completed the stitching around the perimeter of the wooly piece and pulled the thread to gather it a bit............

Next, I turned it "inside-out" and gathered the fabric to make a bowl shape. I secured the Perle Cotton so that the bowl shape would be permanent. This is a "guesswork" issue as all wooly pieces may be different sizes. And since there is no right or wrong size to this project, it doesn't really matter.  I placed the bowl shape on the corner section of a piece of wool that will become the base of the pincushion.............

I trimmed around the wooly piece creating a circle. You can "true-up" your circle after you get the intitial shape cut out.

Next, take your bowl shaped wooly piece and pin the wool circle to it, pinning all the way around......................

Then you will stitch all the way around the pinned area. Yes, you may be thinking "I have no opening, how will I stuff this?" My answer would be......."we will make an opening soon but by stitching it together this way, you will get a really even shape that will stuff very nicely". Here is the completed piece all stitched together.............

To make your opening, grab the wool base piece at the center (you could measure if you want, but I just "eye-balled it"). Make a little snip with your scissors at this spot...........

And then make a circle cut in this area about 1-1/2 to 2" in diameter. Now turn your wooly piece inside out and it's ready to stuff. Sorry, I didn't get a photo of it at this stage.  With the piece ready to stuff, just begin filling it with polyester batting, wool or cotton stuffing. The rim of the hole that you cut will stretch some so that is why you only want a 1-1/2 to 2" opening for stuffing.  Stuff the pincushion carefully, but leave a "well" in the middle for the next step. Sorry, this photo is a bit fuzzy.............

I wanted weight in my pincushion so I made the following item. I cut a circle from muslin about 8" in diameter and did a running stitch around it as shown in the photo above. Then I filled it with crushed walnut shells (lizard bedding which can be found at most pet stores) as shown in this photo............

I placed a small circle of batting over the top of the crushed shells and then pulled the running stitch tight and secured it as shown in the photo above. I turned it over and placed it in the "well" of the stuffing in the pincushion...............

I was almost finished at this point. I cut circle from the wool base fabric that was approximately 3/4" larger all the way around the circle opening. See photo above.  I pinned it in place and began to blanket stitch this piece to the wool pincushion base...........

And in this photo above, you can see that the blanket stitching is finished and so is the pincushion. It's all done and I just love it.............

Now you might be thinking.......oh, it's going to be too hot to think about stitching with wool. Well, with summer coming up, there will be family outings and reunions, maybe a summer vacation and when you are out and about............keep your eye out for shops that carry wool and check out thrift shops for wool clothes you can recycle (be sure to wash it all as soon as you get home.......old wool clothes can carry a moth or critter, or two and you don't need that kind of company).  Then when fall and cooler weather arrive, you will have a lovely stash of wooly fabrics so you can make a wooly pincushion, penny rug or wooly applique project! If you have any questions on this project, please let me know.
Have a great day! Cool and rainy here in Minnesota. We were glad we didn't have family outings planned. It's a good day to catch up in the sewing room!
Sandi

Wooly Fun Part Two will be posted on.......

 Saturday, May 28th.......

My pincushion was inspired by JoAnn's Wool*Crazy book. I love working with wool or any other fabric and I love to add embroidery and embellishments.  I'll share my method for turning any crazy-quilted piece (can be used for embroidery and quilted pieces, too) into a pincushion. Today, though, my husband and I are out and about so I won't have time to post the photo tutorial until Saturday! I'm sure you are all busy barbecuing anyway. :-) Have a great weekend everyone!
Sandi