Sunday is for Scraps -- and Pincushions

The Front Range Modern Quilt Guild met yesterday and we did a pincushion exchange.  I had seen so many cute pincushions on various blogs that I had a hard time deciding which one to make.

My friend Maryann gave me some homemade sugar scrub and local honey in these adorable half-pint retro jars, so I decided the jar pincushion was the one.  I couldn't find any jars around town, wrong season I guess.  Luckily for me, Maryann had some left and she generously donated them (yes, I made one for her, too!)

There are lots of tutorials on making a "Mason Jar pincushion," but this is the one I liked best.

Rather than stuff my pincushion with fiberfill (polyester will dull your pins, beware!), I made a tiny little circular pillow stuffed with crushed walnut shells.  I'm sorry I don't remember where I got my crushed walnut shells, but it was at a quilt shop. Could be any shop between Denver and Baltimore!  A quick Google search shows they are apparently available at Petco to use as reptile bedding. (No wonder I didn't know that.  Reptile bedding?  Eeeww!)

Ann, "a Girl in Paradise," has a tutorial on making your own decorative pin toppers.  I copied her method exactly and they turned out so cute!

You know the most fun part for me was buying little "goodies" to put inside my gifty jar.  I found the cute "quilt block" necklace at Ruth's Stitchery and the jelly bean thimble at High Country Quilts, both here in Colorado Springs.  I use the "contour" hair clips to hold my quilt bindings in place rather than pins -- much safer!  The Goody brand clips come in pretty colors and are smoother than the ones made specifically for quilting.

I received this adorable cupcake pincushion.  My swapper didn't know I collect cupcakes, how serendipitous was that?

Thanks, Eloise!