Cactus Pin Cushion (Scrap Buster)

Hi All,

Today I realized that I needed another pin cushion, and to restock my gift closet a little bit, so Pin Cushion Catcus to the rescue!!!! I actually was inspired to create these from emails I get from National Sewing Circle. They have lots of great tips and projects to help anyone improve their sewing from beginner to advanced skill level. This project is one that was presented there, so please also watch theirs if you can. It’s packed with even more information and the template than what I did. They also provide other options for cactus patterns than the plain barrel cactus that I do here. I definitely reccomend their videos and love their instruction!

These Cactus make great pin cushions, but also just a great addition to a felt succulent garden too if you’re a person that kills even cactus. I have a few friends like that… and I can’t keep much more than a philodendron alive myself… so no judgement here. 🙂

Here goes:

Supplies:

• Green Felt
• Scissors
• Pattern template if desired
• Thread
• Needle for hand sewing a blanket stitch or you can use a zig zag stitch on a sewing machine
• Stuffing (I used scraps of fabric, but you can also use polyfil or batting torn to give more give when pushing the pin in)
• Glue (I used hot glue) / glue gun if needed
• Small pot to “plant the cactus” in (You can also paint this before hand to give it a more unique or personalized touch.)
• Optional:
  • Beans, rice or rocks to weight the pot down and make it harder to knock down.
  • Pink, orange, or red felt for a flower
• Patterned felt that you can cut a flower or in my case a ladybug from

Instructions:

1. Gather materials listed above.
2. Cut your green felt pattern… see video for direction.
3. Starting with the straight lines on both sides, sew the pieces back together making sure the seam goes to the outside of the project… basically you’re sewing wrong sides together instead of right sides together. Also make sure to keep your individual sides organized and lay back down and then pick them up in the right order. It will help you keep the project straight while you’re doing it…otherwise you’ll make the mistake I did, and sew a seam the wrong way that I then had to take out. He he he.
4. Once both sides are complete, sew those sides together and trim any excess parts that don’t look right making sure to not cut your threads.
5. Now to stuff your cactus. I keep all my scraps of fabric that are any size at all…. I keep the really really little ones in a basket next to my sewing machine so that they end up where they should… but also so that I can then use them as stuffing!!! Another option is using traditional batting or polyfil….but why throw away what you can use!
6. Once the cactus is stuffed, I put a small gathering stitch by hand to close the bottom of the cactus so the stuffing doesn’t come out, and at this time add any additional decorations… like my ladybug and flowers.
7. Now take your pot and add any weighting material if desired and glue your cactus in on top.
8. Now it’s ready for pins or gifting!!! Enjoy!!

Have a great day, and keep creating!!