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Friday, November 20

On Pins and Needles with Sandra, Part 2

In my last post, I shared about the pincushion swap Sandra and I did together and showed you the beautiful pincushion she made for me.  Today, I'd like to show you the starfish pincushion I made.  When I was searching for ideas, Sandra had just returned from a trip to the seashore and she mentioned that she loves the sea.  So I chose a seaside theme for her gift.  I forgot to photograph the beachy batik jelly roll and the crabby card I sent along with the pincushion to Ireland, but you can see them on her blog, Studio Sew of Course, if you pop over there for a visit.  

Here is the starfish pincushion: 


Starfish Pincushion - top view

The top looks like it is beaded, but it isn't.  Those are little glass headed applique pins, in light and dark blue, which I thought would be much more useful.  I like to stuff my pincushions with cured sawdust.  It makes them very firm, gives them a nice heft, and holds the pins in very well.  If you've ever used an old red tomato pincushion, that's what they are stuffed with.   


Starfish Pincushion - belly up

The starfish sits a little bit off the surface of the table and its arms are curved.  It has a really deep, chubby shape, which I liked a lot for holding pins.  I used a very well done Starfish Plushie - pattern and tutorial, which I bought from Metroidhat on Etsy.  The pattern is for a plush toy, but I just resized it to make a smaller starfish.

Have any of you tried doing a private swap with other quilters and crafters?  I know some of you have, because I've seen some wonderful posts about it!  Swaps are a great way to get to know your blogging friends better. "Stalking" them, to fine tune your gift to them (it sounds sinister, but isn't) is a lot of fun.  Personally, I much prefer the private swaps and think that they are Head and Shoulders over the big public ones... No flakes!    (Ha ha)    


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Sarah, who blogs at Cedar Fork Stitches, created another beautiful quilt for Moda Bake Shop, called "Prairie Rose Garden".  It's such a pretty design - perfect for both modern and traditional fabrics. Her tutorial is excellent and she uses a really neat construction technique when she chains stitches, called the web method, which was something very new to me.  Definitely worth checking out!    

When I mentioned that her enthusiasm made me want to give the Moda Crossweave fabrics a try, she sent me some in the mail, along with some pretty orange gingham.  Such a sweet and thoughtful thing to do... Thank you Sarah!  :)  And that Moda crossweave fabric is everything you said it would be!  LOL


Sarah's Sweet Surprise

That's all for today.  Next time I'll show you a mug rug swap I did with Ruth of Charly and Ben's Crafty Corner, which was also a great lot of fun!   

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26 comments:

  1. What a pretty little pincushion! I have a list of little gifts I am wanting to make. I think private swaps are a great idea!

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  2. What a great shape for a pin cushion. I love seeing it photographed by beautiful sea glass, too.

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  3. That's a very very cute pincushion, I love it, Lara!! I have to make one for myself ... Thanks for sharing!

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  4. What a unique shape for a pincushion! I have never done a swap of any kind, maybe in the new year I'll have to look into trying one.

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  5. Your pincushion really looks like beads were stitched on it. You've made such a beautiful pattern with the pins. I would leave them there permanently and insert my pins in between. This pincushion is perfect for the days you wish to be on an ocean vacation!
    Pinned and shared on G+

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  6. I really like the pattern you made with the needles - very thoughtful, practical and pretty!

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  7. Good eye to find a toy pattern and resize it for a pincushion. Sarah's web method is the same one I use putting blocks together. Very useful for keeping parts in order.

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  8. The starfish is so great! I did think you had hand sewn all of those beads on, what a good idea to use the pins to decorate it.

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  9. What a unique pincushion! He does look nice and plump :) I recently read that people have been using crushed walnut shells in their pincushions ... something I always have on hand as I use them for the bunny's litter tray!
    ~Wendy

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  10. This has to be one of the coolest pin cushions ever. Adding the applique pins instead of actual beading is such a thoughtful touch. I'm sure she LOVED it.

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  11. The 3D effect of the curved legs is genius! What a beautiful gift Lara, and those batiks look pretty yummy too:)

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  12. All I can think when I see that sweet pincushion is the starfish from Nemo, whose name completely escapes me at the moment! What a fun little swap you two have had...and I would think pincushions are just the perfect thing for one :) It actually startled me a bit, then made me blush a little, seeing the little fabric bundle and note...silly Lara! :)

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  13. What an awesome pin cushion. Great idea.

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  14. Oh my, I just clicked "sign out" instead of "publish." The pincushion is a wonderfully personalized gift, and I really like the pin head decoration. I've avoided swaps because I too quickly fill my time with small projects while the bigger ones languish.

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  15. That starfish is really lovely. I may have to see if I can find that pattern myself. And I love what you did with the pins, very clever! I hosted a pincushion exchange about 2 years ago, in a Yahoo I'm part of where we all use "people powered" sewing machines (treadles and hand cranks) though many of the contributions were stitched by hand also. Just no motors. The pincushions are all posted on my Flickr page. You can find me there as "Suz#1" and they are set to public viewing. Pincushions are a lot of fun.

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  16. What a lovely pincushion!! And a great idea to create the design with pins.

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  17. Beautiful pin cushion! And the cubby legs are so cute.

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  18. Neat! I used to trade house pouches for scraps :) but that was a long time ago. It was fun for sure since I made those houses a bit personalized.

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  19. What a super fun pincushion! I just love it!

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  20. Lovely, Lara, but that's no surprise, and just perfect for Sandra. As always it's your clever little touches that really stand out.

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  21. Hi Lara...I love your starfish pincushion and that beading looks lovely...so glad I came over today because it has given me some inspiration on how to finish one of my UFO's....thanks for sharing. ps...I have a linky party over at Bits 'n Bobs today if you want to take a look and maybe link this one up!! :)

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  22. The starfish pin cushion from a toy pattern turned out to be a very cute idea, and the pins are a lovely addition.

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  23. I haven't tried a swap yet but a private one sounds appealing. The starfish pincushion is so cute. So resourceful of you to use a plush toy pattern. I always feel smarter after reading your posts. What a sweetheart Sarah is!

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  24. The starfish pincushion is lovely, Lara, and the pins are perfect!! Brilliant idea of resizing a toy pattern to make a pincushion. Lucky Sandra. That is so sweet of Sarah to send you the fabric samples. Have fun :)

    -Soma

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  25. What beautiful pin cushions. I love the look the (useful) pins add, but I would have a hard time using them.

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  26. What a great fit your pincushion is, she must have been thrilled! A unique design makes it so fun.
    Sarah's tutorial is great, she seems like such a nice person. I first learned of her from Flickr :)

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