Making Ms. Annie’s Pincushions

Pincushions like these can be made in any size or shape and are ideal for holding ball-head pins. Simply pick through your leftover scraps, sew them together, stuff, and close for bright, fun and useful pin holders.

When I need inspiration, I visit Bib & Tucker Sew-Op in Birmingham, Alabama. Their temporary location is in a corner shop in the heart of the historic Woodlawn community. Members and visitors get together once or twice every week to work on projects, teach classes, collaborate, learn from each other, hone skills, and build community through a shared love of sewing.

Bib & Tucker’s temporary shop is located in a blue corner building in the historic Woodlawn community of Birmingham. (photo by Bob Farley)

I love the bright spools of thread and patchwork curtains in the windows of the blue building. (photo by Bob Farley)

The sew-op shop is full of creativity. Warm and inviting, the fabrics in the window and the people inside beacon visitors to come in and sew a while. The lamp shade was made by Lillis Taylor, executive director of Bib & Tucker Sew-Op and creator of Tré Lilli. Tré Lilli is a collaboration between Lillis and her father, artist Trés Taylor. (photo by Bob Farley)

This time, I’m looking for ideas for pincushions. There are never enough pincushions in the sewing shack. I have a variety of pins for different projects, and so plenty of pincushions for my plethora of pins will help me manage and keep the pins separated. Organizing pins in this way and always returning them to their proper place will keep them from showing up underfoot — ouch.

Straight pins for sewing come in a variety of sizes and gauges. For small flat-head pins, I like to store each size in their own tin containers or jars and use the lids as trays. When I am done with my projects, I simply dump the pins back into the containers and place the lids back on top.

And then there are the long pin varieties — flat-head pins, ball-head pins, plastic-topped or glass-topped, and T-pins. The larger heads are meant to make the pins easier to grasp than a standard flat-head straight pin.

Long straight pins with ball heads, whether plastic or glass, will never go back into the same container from the manufacturer. They just won’t all fit once they are disturbed. A large pincushion is a must-have item for the studio to keep the pins organized and ready to use.

Bib & Tucker Sew-Op encourages all to sit down around a table or quilting frame and go to work. A cottage industry is born this way. As co-founder, Ms. Annie Bryant, facing the camera, is essential to the personality of the co-op. The sew-op walls are adorned with works in progress and quilts for an upcoming display of  The March Quilts.

Taking a cue from Ms. Annie Bryant, co-founder of the sew-op, I am gathering my scraps and planning to make a few pincushions for the long pins. Ms. Annie advises — “Made out of bright quilting fabric scraps and a bit of pillow stuffing, these pincushions are easy to make, and they make you feel good when you can complete the project in such a short amount of time.” She also says it is a perfect project to teach kids how to sew. I like them because there is no need to measure or square. Every pincushion is a one-of-a-kind.

Ms. Annie’s pincushions are easy to make with the leftover scraps from the studio floor. The bright colors make for happy sewing. (photo by Bob Farley)

5 tips for making Ms. Annie’s pincushions:

1 – Gather your scraps, colorize and match up however you like, and sew the pieces together to make the top and bottom panels. Iron if you must — I don’t.

2 – Put the top and bottom panels together (right sides facing in) and cut both panels to the desired size.

3 – Pin and sew around three sides.

4 – Stuff the pincushion with pillow stuffing.

5 – Fold the end in, pin closed, and sew to complete.

 Have you ever made your own pincushions? What are your favorite uses for scrap fabric?