Trevor B Johnson Millinery.

Contrast Stitch

How to Make a Pincushion in Counted Cross Stitch

Making gifts for people is a rewarding hobby with counted cross stitch there are endless practical items you can make.

With very little cross stitch fabric you can make a pincushion either for yourself  or as a gift.

Evenweave fabric is probably the better to use as it is not quite so rigid as aida.

What do you need:

Fabric

Design chart

Thread

Needle

Wadding

With as little as 5.5? x 3? of aida or evenweave fabric you can make a pincushion.  If you want a larger pincushion just increase the dimensions ensuring the design you are stitching will be appropriate for the larger size.

In six easy steps you will have produced a lovely gift for someone.

1.  Stitch your design by using only half of the fabric.

2.  When complete fold the fabric in half with the design facing inwards.

3.  Stitch two of the sides of the material with one strand of thread or use normal sewing cotton.  Sew a 5mm seam using the holes of the fabric as a guide for a straight seam.

4.Turn the pincushion the right way out pushing the corners with a pin so they  form a neat point.

5.  Fold the wadding in half and half again.  Insert this into the pincushion.

6. Turn under the edges and sew up the opening with small neat stitches.

Alternatively if you have a piece of fabric 3.5" x 3.5" you could stitch a design and use a contrasting material of a similar size and stitch the two together.

So if you have small amounts of fabric in your workbox that you were going to put in the bin now you can put them to good use.

About the Author

Janet Kelly is a keen cross stitch enthusiast. She writes articles on all aspects of Cross Stitch and also runs a website: Needlework Magic where she sells a wide range of Cross Stitch Kits which are very competitively priced.

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