Originally Posted by Nancy in Louisiana
I have been admiring the pincushions board members have been making, and have a few questions:
What is your favorite material for filling them? I've seen suggestions of nut shells and poly-fil. Anything else work?
Do you do anything to the bottoms to weight them down or prevent pins and needles from going all the way through?
Would it work to somehow put a magnet in a pincushion to use for picking up pins? (I say this as I look at a magnetized paperclip holder and wondering if it could somehow be incorporated into a pincushion.)
What is your favorite type or pattern to make?
Could you post some pictures here to share what you've made?
Do you have any hints or warnings or things you have tried and just didn't work?
Thanks for any response you post.
.
I take tuna or cat food cans and put round shaped pieces of scrap packing plastic foam in the bottoms, (to stop the needles and pins) then add a puff of polyfill to fill it and round off the top. Then I measure around it - top. side, bottom, otherside. I draw a circle of that same measurement as its diameter, use it as a pattern, and cut out a circle of fabric. I make a large yo-yo out of that circle, and fit it over the can before drawing the thread tight.
The hole will be in the CENTER of the BOTTOM of the can.
Finish drawing it tight, and tie it tightly, poking the ends inside.
A Hint: use strong thread doubled.
To decorate it, tie a ribbon around the sides, or lace, or bright cord! poke a tiny posy in the bow!