Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Mad About Pin-Cushions


"Wait a minute, you're not my chicks!"

Lately, I have been enjoying myself,
 making pin cushions.
 

Here's a little step by step picture tutorial
 on the Chicken Pin-Cushion.
It is probably the easiest one you will ever make :)
Start out with 2 - 5 inch squares of cotton fabric,
 then cut a triangle beak and a comb from felt or fleece .

Fold over the beak and place them both very close to the corner, 
and pin down.

The trickiest part of this is placing the comb and beak and sewing that corner.

The dotted lines are where you will sew on your square.
Leave a hole at the bottom and be sure to back-tack it to prevent your stitches 
from coming loose when you turn it right side out and stuff it.
Also as you can see, do not sew the left side.

Okay let's sew this part.
Make a nice pivot with your needle down at this corner.

After sewing, invert the head and be sure you get her head pushed out well.
Use a pencil, a knitting needle . . . you know the drill :) 

Then before I sew that last side,
I tuck her head back in, but be careful not to turn it back right-side out. 
Her head will make a great place to grab,
 when you're finished sewing and ready to stuff her.
Oh yum, 
doesn't chicken and stuffing sound good for dinner tonight :)


Now it is time to sew that last seam shut.
Be sure to lay your fabric flat and match the seams.


Now it is time to reach in and grab her head
 and pull it out.

Take that stick, or pencil and get all of your corners turned.

Okay, here is that little hole we left at the bottom.
Stuff it here and then whip stitch it shut.
You are done :) 

Except for adding eyes,
and you can sew or glue them on, I did both.

Ouch! 

Three little white hens. 

Oh, before I forget, 
 it is better to get your beak or comb too big, than too small.
You can trim it after, if needed:)

This project worked well with heavy denim,

As well as lighter weight cotton.
Just as long as it is an easy fabric to stick pins into. 

Have fun & Happy sewing!

Your blogging sister, 
Connie :) 

P.S. that cute little owl pin-cushion tutorial is right here:
 http://agataria.blogspot.com/2011/03/folded-owl.html

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60 comments:

  1. Connie- Those are adorable!!!! I love those chicks. They are so cute..AND I like the owls, too. Great job and wonderful tutorial- xo Diana

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    1. Good Morning Diana, thanks, both of these little projects are simple and fun :)

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  2. Connie I love that little chick she's so cute. Have a great week.
    Patricia x

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    1. Hi Patricia, it is so nice to see you . . . I did have a wonderful week. We purchased a small motor-home last week and this week we drove up to the mountains and spent two nights and three glorious days camping. It was heavenly :)

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  3. Replies
    1. Hi Louise, I am so happy that you like my little barnyard cuties :)

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  4. Connie, those are so darn cute!!! You are always on to some new fun project. Great tutorial, I know how long that takes! What fun gifts for crafty friends!

    Carol

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    1. Good Morning Carol, I agree that they make nice little gifts for friends. Sometimes you just want to have some little something on hand to give away. They are good by themselves, or teams with a stack of fat squares :)

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  5. Cute!
    Thanks for the easy and detailed tutorial also. Looks like something even I could manage to make* grin**.

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    1. Hi Kerin, give them a try . . . they are fun and easy :)

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  6. They are absolutely adorable :)! Sitting by my machine making table cloths, I just might try that one out! It looks like a fun project.
    Have a blessed day!

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    1. You might have some scraps left from your table cloths . . . they only take two little 5 inch squares :)

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  7. Fabulous! I think I am going to make a bigger one, fill it with sand and use it as a doorstop. Thank you for the idea. And thank you for your good wishes yesterday, I am going to love being a nan xxx

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    1. Good Morning Fran, you have a great idea here . . . bigger, filled with sand . . . it would be a perfect doorstop :)
      Oh, I'll bet you are having fun cuddling that new little sweetie pie. I'm so happy for your family and your perfect little new member.

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  8. Aww, super sweet and cute!! Pincushions are always so fun to make! xo Heather

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    1. Hi Heather, I have been having a lot of fun making pin cushions . . . now, on to find another cute design :)

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  9. Oh my gosh, I LOVE these!!!!! So cute and also functional. Will you be taking them to a craft show or selling them? I adore the colors you chose, and the owls are totally adorable.

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    1. Hi Ginny, I'll probably just be giving them away. If a craft show pops up and I decided to give it another try, I'll put a couple in :) No plans at the moment. Thanks for stopping by and visiting and for leaving your sweet comments. I always look forward to seeing your sweet thumbprint :)

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  10. Oh, how darling! Thank you so much for the tutorial - I would love one of these (or a flock) for my sewing room. I love all the different fabrics you used. You are so creative, Connie! Hugs xo

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    1. Hi Karen,
      thanks for stopping by and I am delighted that you like my little barnyard chicks. Well, we headed out on what was going to be our Cascade Loop trip, but after seeing that it was raining on the coast, we thought, "traffic and rain" or "sunshine and mountain views". The mountains won and we camped just above Winthrop on a site with a creek on one side and a mountain lake on the other, it was a very restful and a glorious trip :).

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  11. You are such a talented lady! The pin cushions are so cute.

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    1. Good Morning Beth, I am delighted that you like them. I have been having fun finding cute little pin cushion patterns, they make sweet little gifts and are so fun to make :) I do hope that you are feeling better . . . you are in my prayers.

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  12. Oh, how adorable those pincushions are - especially love the hens. What do you plan to do with the pincushions you've made? Are you going to sell them or give them as gifts? Thanks for the instructions to make the hens, I'm definitely going to give it a go. Loving your blog, Connie XX

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    1. Hi Suzanne, you will have to make some, they are fun and easy. Mine will probably be gifts, but if I do another show, I will certainly add a couple to my inventory. I am so happy that you like my blog . . . that is very encouraging, thank you :)

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  13. You've got quite the collection of chickens there. They are really cute. Do you put ground walnut shells in your? I read somewhere that the walnut shells were good for pincushions because it helps keep the pins sharp.

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    1. Hi Ann, I've never heard that . . . no, I stuffed mine with poly-fill. Back in the old days when I was young and we used cloth diapers, I used to store my diaper pins stuck into a bar of soap. It made the pins slide through the cloth layers with ease :)

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  14. They are just the cutest little things! If I didn't have so much going on right now, I'd make some.
    D~~~~

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    1. Hi Donna, store the idea away in your memory bank . . . there will be a time when life eases up and this is an easy and fun project.

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  15. adorable pin cushions, connie:) and chicken and stuffing sounds good any night:)

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    1. Good morning Lynn, yes it does, I'm getting hungry . . . haven't had breakfast yet. Not chicken for breakfast though, LOL. I'm happy that you like my little pin cushions.

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  16. Connie, I am smiling at those three little white hens! All of the pin cushions are too stinkin cute! xo

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    1. Hi Debbie, thanks so much . . . you're a sweetie and that makes me smile :)

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  17. Those are the sweetest little chick-a-dees!! I know you called them hens....but I think they're so cute! These would make wonderful stocking stuffers! Blessings~~~Roxie

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    1. Good morning Roxie, thanks for your sweet visit . . . they will probably be all gifted to friends that sew. I think packaged up with a quilting magazine or some fat squares :)

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  18. How darling.
    Great job friend.
    Woolie Fall Blessings

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  19. Thank you for sharing the tutorial, they are sooo cute!!! I´m going to make them :-)

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    1. I am so thrilled to hear that . . . it is wonderful when a tutorial can inspire about creative sister :) I hope you post yours when you get them made.

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  20. Your whimsical chick pincushions are adorable :)
    Thank you for the tutorial

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    1. Hi Tracy, I am pleased that you like them. Thanks for visiting :)

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  21. Oh my gosh! These little hen pincushions are so, so cute! I used to have a cat who would pull pins out of the pin cushion. I was afraid he'd swallow them so they are all in a box now. I don't sew much so that's okay. These are so sweet just to sit around and look cute even.

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    1. Hi Judy, I would be afraid of him swallowing them, too. I am happy that you like them :)

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  22. Very clever. They are adorable.

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  23. They are adorable and I love the thread bag. I need to make one of those for sure.

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    1. Hi Sharon, I know, it is so easy to have your creative space filled with threads and they do tangle up in brooms and vacuum cleaner brushes :)

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  24. Your little chicks look so cute Connie sitting together!
    Happy Weekend,
    Susan x

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    1. Good Morning Susan, thank you . . . i kind of think so, too :)

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    2. Hi Connie--oh, your chickens are absolutely adorable, and I love your pic with the owls and caption, lol! Thanks for the excellent tutorial! ~Lorraine :)

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    3. Hi Lorraine, I am delighted that you like them. I saw them on the web and just had to give it a go :)

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  25. Hi Connie, I love these cute pin cushions! Thank you for sharing how to make them, you make it look so easy!

    Have a great week Connie!
    Gill xx

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    1. Hi Gill, they are easy . . . give them a try :)

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  26. Replies
    1. Hi Anita, thanks, I know that i enjoy tutorials, so i like to make them when I have the time :)

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  27. Wonderful project and thank you for the link to the little owl--love that for sure.

    I have just become your latest follower and thank you for visiting Jumbled Crafts and becoming my latest follower.

    Love Chrissie x

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    1. Hi Chrissie, this is so cool, thank you for following. I'm looking forward to becoming great blogging friends :)

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  28. This will make great Christmas gifts for the ladies at my quilting group - thanks!

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    1. Hello Kim, thanks for stopping by . . . I agree, this would be a lovely little gift for anyone who sews :)

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  29. Replies
    1. Thank you . . . and may I say, it's nice to see you :)

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