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New Pincushions

Affiliate Disclosure: Links to etsy products are affiliate links.

If you've seen the main image for the Sawtooth Star Pincushion pattern this pincushion I finished last week might look kind of familiar. It's not exactly the same, but pretty close!  

The one here in the photos is Size 2 from the pattern. Size 2 is a good all-purpose size.  

The fabrics used to make this pincushion are quilting cottons for the star and then a speckled cotton/linen chambray for the background, sides, and bottom.

The cat print is called Where's Kitty from Dear Stella's Catitude collection. The pink pin dot is from years and years ago so I'm not sure exactly what it might be--maybe Riley Blake? The chambray is another that I've had for a few years. I'd love to get more of it but it's apparel fabric and there isn't any manufacturer info to help me track it down.  

 

 

Yesterday I finished this red patchwork pincushion and I love it!  I have a similar one that lives on my cutting table and I find it so beautiful and inspiring. The bright colors are really uplifting and like many patchwork items, it's visually stimulating and just fun to look at.

This was also made using the Size 2 pattern pieces from the Sawtooth Star Pincushion pattern. 

The fabrics are all designer quilting cottons from Moda, Riley Blake, and Michael Miller.  If you have a question about a specific one, leave a comment and I'll figure out the name.

Both of the pincushions in this post are for sale and can ordered at these links:

• Sawtooth Star Pincushion on my website (tax free shopping)
• Sawtooth Star Pincushion on etsy
• Red Patchwork Pincushion on my website (tax free shopping)
• Red Patchwork Pincushion on etsy

New Colors of Bohin Pins

Teal Bohin Murano Glass Pins

Do you have some nice pins to use when you sew?  Sewing is more satisfying when you have the right tools and it's even better when your tools also look great.

These pretty pins from Bohin are excellent all-purpose pins with sharp shanks and heads that won't melt. If you make a lot of straps or sew things where it can help to pin them to your ironing board (or a wool mat), these are helpful for keeping melted plastic off your iron and ironing board.

Pea Green Bohin Murano Glass Pins

I started stocking in a few colors when Dritz's glass head pins were out of stock (they still are hard to find). Once I started using these, they quickly became one of favorite pins. 

They are mostly 1.25" long and even though they are "fine" pins, they are pretty sturdy.

Baby Pink Bohin Murano Glass Pins

When it was time to order more, to my delight I found some new colors available and had to have them too.

Besides sewing, these pins are also awesome for using on bulletin boards or to mark places you've been on a map.

I have a huge bulletin board and these pins are excellent for pinning things to the board, or like with the Box Bottom Gauges, I punch a hole in them and then hang them on a pin so the gauges don't get lost.

If you are interested in having some lovely pins that aren't purely decorative, check out these Bohin pins at the links above.

You can also find these pins in this section of my etsy shop. 

So Long and Farewell to this Beloved Pattern

This month we are saying goodbye to the Patchwork Coasters pattern as it goes off into retirement.  

I have made many, many of these over the years and don't plan to stop making them. They are popular in my shops, I use mine--even the old and kind of decrepit ones--every single day, and they are one of my favorite things to make!  

But...this pattern is from 2013 (!!!) and could use some photo updates.

There's nothing wrong with the photos, but the pictures in my newer patterns have a pure white background and the photos in this pattern do not have the white background. 

Not a huge deal, but the photos look better and brighter with a white background, and it saves ink. Retaking and editing the photos is a big time investment and it's always a guess whether it makes sense to to do it for an older pattern so mostly I just let them "retire".  

So the Patchwork Coasters pattern is now considered "an oldie, but a goodie" and is on sale for 50% off through the end of the month. 

You can find it here at michellepatterns.com or here on etsy.  The sale price is marked.

New PDF Sewing Pattern - Sawtooth Star Pincushions

Ah ha, look at this...a new pattern is ready for some sewing fun!

In the last few years I've discovered how super satisfying it is to sew Sawtooth Stars and after making a couple blocks with really tiny stars, I wanted to use them in a project that wasn't a quilt.

At first, the idea was to make the smallest star (just over 2" measuring tip to tip) into a pincushion cuff. The Rose Pincushion Cuff is one of my most popular patterns and I'd love to make a second style of pincushion cuff, but after experimenting with the little star it just never quite came together.  The block is so small and it needs to be smaller still to be comfortable to wear and it just got to be too challenging.  

Once the cuff idea was off the table, I didn't want to abandon the idea of a Sawtooth Star pincushion because the pincushions I made while trying out the cuff idea were just getting better and better!  I figured out how to make them as nicely square as possible and then a few sold and people asked about the pattern and so here we are with a pattern so anyone who wants to make these can stitch them up.

The pattern comes with pieces for three sizes.  There is also a measurement chart on the second page of pattern pieces if you'd rather rotary cut them. 

Size 1 is smallest one and it is just adorable and feels like a nice accomplishment to sew, Size 2 is more of a standard size pincushion, and Size 3 is a pretty big pincushion for those with a load of pins.  

In the image above, these are the three sizes, but Size 2 is a patchwork pincushion.  It's one of my favorite pincushions and I'll definitely be using the Size 2 pieces in the pattern to make more patchwork versions!

They don't take that long to make. This is a 2-3 hour project for most people. 

They don't use a lot of supplies, or need more than fairly basic sewing tools. 

You can stuff them with whatever you like. I'm stuffing mine with wool, which has become my preferred stuffing. It just feels nice and it doesn't seem to get as lumpy, bumpy as poly stuffing.  If you haven't used wool and would like to try it out, or just want a small amount, one ounce bags are available here.

The supplies needed are listed in the pattern description.  I also find these optional tools handy for making these pincushions:

• Mark-b-Gone pen: One end of this pen makes the blue marks in see in the instruction photos. I love, love, love these pens and always make sure to have a few on hand. This pen is my number #1 must have sewing tool and I've never been without one in the last 10+ years.  The blue ink is removed with water, so it sticks around until you are ready to remove it.
• Point turner: This tool is kind of new to me and it's turned out to be one of those "where have you been all my life???" tools. It's just awesome for pushing out seams and corners. 

Page 1 of the instructions has some helpful info and here are a few additional tips for making the pincushions:

For step #3 it's important to sew the diagonal lines fairly accurately. If you sew above the diagonal line, your point will be too short and you might need to cut new fabric pieces and start over.  Due to the tiny size, picking out a seam isn't really an option. The fabric doesn't hold up well to picking out stitches when the piece is only 1" - 1.5" square.  

You'll notice the instructions mention to NOT backstitch in step #3 and that's because with these little fabric pieces the fabric can bunch up. There just isn't a whole lot of material to provide stability and backstitching basically just drives the fabric into the machine plate and chews it up. 

For step #5, to match up the seams of the top, middle, and bottom sections, while you are sewing place the intersecting seams with the seam of the piece on top (i.e. the piece directly under the presser foot) one stitch length (1mm or so) forward the seam for the piece on the bottom. The presser foot will push the seam of the top piece into alignment with the seam on the bottom.  Also, don't forget you can also stretch the fabric will sewing to help match up the seams.

Well I hope you enjoy the new pattern!  It will be on sale on my website and in my etsy shop through 2/26.

Grocery Bag Acrylic Templates Back in Stock

Affiliate Disclosure: The link in #3 below is an affiliate link.

Just a quick note to let you know the acrylic templates for the Grocery Bag handles are back in stock!

You can find the templates in three places:

1. Here on my website
2. Here in my etsy shop
3. Here at Shop Stitch Buzz (use this one if you are outside the US)

Last Call for Etsy & Airbnb Hosting Essentials Entries

Shark Pillowcases

In case you didn't see this, and might want to submit an entry or two of your own, today (10/4/21) is the last day for the open call for submissions for the Etsy & Airbnb Hosting Essentials collaboration.  

I entered the two listings in the photos here and am quite pleased with myself for getting the shark pillowcases finished in time to submit them!  The idea for the pillowcase is really a few different current projects coming together and the shark fabric just seems so perfect for a beach house.  People sleeping on shark covered pillows appeals to my silly side. 

Daisy Napkins

The napkins have been listed for a few days and they turned out pretty sweet in this pink fabric and being kitchen linens, they are a good fit for my second entry.  

If you have one or two items in your shop that are home related, you can still submit them today. The winners aren't announced until the first of the year so even if your listings needs some work, submit them now and then spruce them up later. 

My pillowcases need better pics since it's not really clear at first glance exactly what the listing is showing. Since the judges may not look at them for a while there is likely time to make some improvements.