My Newest Pincushion

My newest pincushion on Etsy is one of my very favorites. I know I say that a lot, but I guess the harder I try to learn this craft, the more I love what I make.

I just received a new shipment of embroidery cotton and the colors were to die for. They are from the DMC line of perle cotton. I know there are silk, linen and wool variations, but size 5 perle cotton speaks to me. The threads are nice and juicy without being too large. Satin stitches just shine. French knots are perky and have a nice presence. I added a back stitch onto a chain stitch and I got a really pretty effect on the stem and the border.

The fabric I used is a premium quilt cotton. The leaf print is filled with rich reds and deep greens. I started playing with adding embroidery stitches to the print. After the first bunch I just knew I couldn't stop. I first drew a few flower shapes which overlapped the leaf print here and there. Once I had a design I liked, I used fabric markers to block in the flowers. If I hadn't, it would have worked out fine. But I wanted a continuity between the flowers and the leaf designs.

You can't use an easier design for a pincushion than a square. I trimmed my embroidered cloth so there was a nice border around the stitchin. I then added strips of batik cotton along the edges. Before sewing the front to the back, I added some chain and back stitches along the batik border.
After adding the seam allowances I sewed the back fabric onto the front, right sides together.
I sewed around the outside edge, leaving a small open spot for turning and stuffing.

I trimmed the corners down and turned it right side out. I created an emery pocket and placed it inside the pincushion. Then I stuffed it full with new polyester fiber fill. I hand sewed the opening closed with a ladder stitch and it's done! The actual construction of the pincushion tool less than an hour. The embroiderey,,,well...as always I lost track of time when I was stitching. I know there were 2 nights when I looked at the clock just before the birds start their early morning songs.
Enjoy!