A Quick Way to Make a Portable Pincushion

Step 1

I have pincushions of all different kinds: hanging ones that I hang on my embroidery stand while stitching, a wrist pincushion (like a bracelet), a regular pincushion that wanders from one table to another. There's even a vintage doll-shaped one passed down from my grandmother 🥰

I don't sit at the sewing machine all that often, but when I do, I still use needles/pins, so I decided to make myself another pincushion—specifically for my sewing station.

I spotted this idea on tearosehome.blogspot.com—to make this little helper, all you need is a small scrap of fabric, an equally small ball of stuffing (like polyester batting), and a deep cap from a standard five-liter bottle.

Using a template, cut a circle out of the fabric. It should be about 8–8.5 cm in diameter.

Illustration 2

Step 3

Sew a running stitch around the perimeter of the piece, leaving two loose thread tails for gathering.

Illustration 4

Step 5

Pull the threads slightly to gather the circle and stuff it with polyester batting.

Illustration 6

Step 7

After pulling the threads tight, stitch the little ball closed by hand.

Illustration 8

Step 9

Test the fit of the pincushion in the cap—if the size is good, secure them together with glue.

Illustration 10

Step 11

On the bottom, attach a magnetic strip or double-sided tape—it all depends on whether your machine has a metal or plastic body.

Illustration 12

Step 13

Mount the pincushion on the part of the sewing machine where it will always be close at hand without getting in the way 👍

Illustration 14

Step 15

Design note: the rim of the cap can be concealed with lace trim, decorative ribbon, or pom-pom trim 🙂

Illustration 16