Felt Pincushion Pattern with PDF Printable (FREE)

Looking for a felt pincushion pattern? Happy Valentine’s Day Freebie! If you feel like spoiling yourself or someone who loves to sew, then this is for you. This week’s tutorial shows you how to make this adorable felt pincushion with a sewing machine applique.

How to Make a Felt Pin Cushion

Here is a rundown of how to make a felt pincushion. Keep reading for the step by step instructions with photos.

1. Download the free felt pincushion pattern and cut the felt.
2. Sew the hearts on the side and sew the side seam.
3. Applique the top piece.
4. Assemble the pincushion, joining the top and bottom to the side.
5. Stuff the pin cushion and sew the gap closed.

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Felt Pincushion Pattern, Step by Step Instructions

Supplies Needed

• FELT – Wool or acrylic felt in contrast colors. You can purchase felt squares from your local haberdashery or craft shop. Etsy also has a great supply of felt sellers.
• STUFFING – A couple of handfuls of polyester filling for stuffing your pincushion. If you don’t have polyester stuffing available you can use small cut up scraps of fabric. This will result in a heavier, denser pincushion that will still work perfectly.
• THREAD – Matching threads. You can use embroidery threads or just ordinary machine thread.
• HAND SEWING NEEDLE

Download Felt Pincushion Pattern PDF

Download and print your felt pincushion pattern. A new window will open. When printing your pattern pieces, make sure that your printers “page scaling” is set to “none” and “auto center and rotate” is checked.  You can check your pattern has printed in the correct size by measuring the one inch (2.5cm) test square. The pattern pieces print on 8.5” x 11”(letter) or A4 paper. If you are new to printing PDF patterns, please read my article on how to print PDF patterns.

Step 1 – Sew the Side Piece

Stitch the hearts on the felt pincushion SIDE piece in the positions marked on the pattern. Use a whip stitch, blanket stitch or running stitch. If you are a beginner, then a simple up-and-down running stitch is the simplest way to sew all the applique. It is also the quickest.

Stitch the ends of the SIDE piece together to form a circle. Use a whip stitch or blanket stitch.

Step 2 – Applique the Top

Stitch the applique on the TOP piece of the pincushion in the position marked on the pattern. Use a whip stitch, blanket stitch or running stitch. 

In my felt pin cushion sample, the red thread and black needle were stitched using a backstitch, while the sewing machine was sewn using a combination of whip stitch and running stitch. When sewing really small stitches, a bright light will be your best friend!

Step 3 – Assemble

Stitch the TOP to the SIDE piece. Use a whip stitch or blanket stitch. You will need to use fairly small stitches so that the stuffing does not poke out of any gaps when you are finished.

Turn the pincushion over and stitch the BOTTOM to the SIDE piece. You will need to leave a 1 ½ inch (4cm) gap to feed the stuffing through. Leave the thread and needle still attached.

Step 4 – Stuffing the Pincushion

Stuff your felt pincushion through the gap. Be careful not to overstuff, or it will look more like a ball! If you just can’t get the bottom flat, try inserting a piece of round cardboard to stabilize it. Stitch the gap closed with the still attached thread.

If your pincushion is not sitting flat you can put a couple of stitches through the center, starting at the bottom and going through the top and back down.

Tips for Working With Felt Pincushions

If you haven’t tried sewing with felt before then you really should try it. The beauty of felt is that the edges don’t fray, making it one of the easiest handcrafts.

There are many different types of felt, but the best for this pincushion pattern is either acrylic or wool. These types of felt can be purchased in squares from craft and sewing stores and come in a multitude of colors.

For my samples, I used a soft acrylic felt. One tip for buying acrylic felt is to make sure it is soft. Sometimes they can be stiffened, and those squares are not suitable for this purpose

In Conclusion

Congratulations on another great project you have completed! You can now admire your handiwork every time you reach for a pin. If you liked this felt pincushion pattern, you may like to make some more pincushions. Here are some more pincushion tutorials:

1. Patchwork Pincushion – This tutorial shows you how to make a patchwork square-shaped pincushion that is perfect for using up small scraps.
2. Mason Jar Pincushion – Recycle old jars into a stylish pincushion for your workroom. The best thing about these pincusions is that you can use the jar to store buttons, threads and small sewing tools.
3. DIY Pin Cushion – These round pincushions are extremely easy to make and can be made large or small to store all your loose pins.