Have you got lots of scrap fabric in your stash that is looking for a new purpose? What about making a DIY pin cushion? These cute, round pin cushions are really simple to make and are great gift ideas too.
DIY Pin Cushion: Supplies
You will need:
- Scraps of fabric
- Embroidery floss
- Basics – needle, thread, scissors
DIY Pin Cushion: The Video
Check out this video I made for you showing all the steps. Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly sewing and craft videos.
DIY Pin Cushion: The Steps
Step 1: Use a tea cup or something round to trace out 2 circles on your scrap fabric. My cup was 4 inches across which made a really nice sized pin cushion but you can make yours larger or smaller if you wish.
Step 2: Put your 2 circles with RIGHT sides together.
Step 3: Stitch around the circles with a 1/4 inch (6mm) seam and leave a 1 1/2 (4cm) gap.
Step 4: Clip around the seam but leave the section where the gap is unclipped.
Step 5: Turn the pin cushion right way out and give it a press
Step 6: Stuff your DIY pin cushion and close the gap with an invisible ladder stitch.
Step 7: Knot a piece of embroidery floss and pass the needle through the top center all the way through to the bottom center. Bring the needle up and around to the top again. Repeat until you have 8 segments. Pull the thread tight enough so it gathers just slightly to give a puffy look.
Step 8: Knot off the floss and then use the thread to sew a button on top. Knot off and cut the thread.
And there you are all finished. My first DIY pin cushion took me around 15 minutes but the second 2 were done in under 10 minutes. They were really fast. I think the stuffing took the longest!
More Pincushion Patterns
- Pincushion Patterns – felt with a sewing machine motif
These pin-cushions are very cute, very similar to mine, which I love because it comes with an elastic wrist band (white elastic, half an inch wide), which is sewn in under the button. I can wear it on my wrist whilst I am pinning fabric and unpinning whilst sewing away at the machine. I didn’t make my pin-cushion, I must say. I bought it a while back, quite cheap, on the sales at the supermarket, of all places. The elastic wrist band would be quite easy to add to your DIY pin-cushion, following your tutorial here (just before adding the button). I find it so useful, I can’t do without it. When this one falls apart, I will follow your tutorial to make myself a new one.
Hi Marina, adding an elastic band is a great idea and really easy to do! Just stuff it quite densely so the pins don’t poke all the way through. Thanks for reading.