DIY - Pincushions Two Ways

While making things, I often come to realise that there are a few more things I could do with having. The thing that comes up most often is the humble pincushion. I'm sick of keeing my pins in a box and stabbing my fingers every time I need one. So I decided it was time to make not one, but two pincushions, one as a wrist strap, and one that was weighted (who wants the whole pincushion lifting up when you try to take one pin out, right!)

Pincushion 1: The wrist strap

Step 1: This one may be a little sinister for some, because it involves getting your hands on a cute little guy like this:

And cutting off his head!

Step 2: Sew up the underside of the head:

Step 3: Measure around your wrist, and cut a piece of elastic to the same size. Then sew it to the underside of the head:

I found it easier to wrap the elastic around the head while I did this; it kept it from getting in the way.

Done! Simple.

I got the monkey from the pound store, but if you have a teddy bear lying around the house then this project could be even cheaper. All of the other materials were things I already had.

Total cost: £1
Total time spent: 10 minutes.

Pincushion 2: Weighted pincushion

A nice, simple, no sew project.

Step 1: get a mug, lay a piece of fabric over the top, and stuff it down inside covering as much of the bottom as you can. You can use any fabric as long as it's big enough, I used the back of an old tshirt.

Step 2: stuff the mug with any scraps you have, I used the body of my poor decapitated monkey friend:

Step 3: Trim down the leftover fabric, leaving just enough to gather over the top. Bunch it together, and tie it off with an elastic band:

Step 3: Take your bundle out of the mug, turn it upside down, and stuff it back in. You can glue it in if you like, but why bother? This way you don't damage the mug at all, and you can just change it out if you ever feel like changing the colour.

Total cost: 79p for a new mug (I didn't want to split up my set).
Total time spent: 10 minutes.

Two super fast, super cheap makes that will help me with future projects.