Skinny Pinny for October Across The Pond Sew Along

The Skinny Pincushion is this month's

Across the Pond Sew Along project,

and I was really grateful to Susie of Susie's Sunroom

for picking something that is so quick to make,

fun to create, and useful!

{The free tutorial can be found here from Green Bee Designs.}

These are Susie's skinny pinnies!  Photo from Susie's Sunroom

Want to see mine?

I was tempted to use the Panoramic setting

on my camera, to capture it in its entirety.

I'll just show you some close-ups, in stages, instead.

I started out with a favorite Lakehouse button print. 

 For the main body, I used the text print

from Sweetwater's "Mama Said Sew" line.

I was "saving" this sewing print for something special,

and it does make a killer pincushion!

All the way down at the other end,

I used the red and black ricrac from

the same Mama Said Sew line.

Here it is, all in one photo!

When I made my skinny pinny,

I pieced together the fabrics for the top,

to measure about 3" x 15".

I cut a piece of the button print for the bottom

that also measured 3" x 15".

I fused some Pellon ShapeFlex SF101 interfacing

to the wrong sides of the top and bottom,

for some support.

I stitched the pieces wrong-sides-together,

leaving about a 5" opening in the center of the long side 

that would become the top of the pincushion.
My finished pinny is about 2 1/2" x 14 1/2".

Here's a trick I always use when I have to leave

an opening for turning and/or stuffing:

I stitch from the edge of the project,

straight over to the start of the seam, backstitching,

on each side of the opening.

{It's easier to show you than it is to describe it.}

Here's another tip:

after turning the pincushion right sides out,

I always give it a really good pressing,

to smooth it before stuffing.

{Now's the time to add a cute label, too, if you've got one.}

Susie and many other pincushion aficionados

swear by crushed walnut shells,

for stuffing their pinnies.

I'm allergic to walnuts myself,

so I just used plenty of polyfil to plump up mine...

just a bit.

{It's still skinny!}

Once it was stuffed, I hand-stitched the opening closed.

Now you know why I chose to make my opening

at the top of the pincushion,

where it will rarely be seen.

;)

Just for a bit of jazz, 

I added a piece of black ricrac to my skinny pinny.

I just pinned it between the top and bottom layers,

along a seam, before I stitched them together.

The ricrac is actually not stitched down,

except at the seams.

I'm hoping to find a nice new pair of scissors

that can be slipped under the ricrac when I'm not using them.

I've already enjoyed using

this little gem, and it's loaded up with many more pins

than I've shown in this photo.

From both sides of The Pond,

we hope you'll share photos

in our Flickr group, if you find  few minutes to make

your own Skinny Pincushion!