DIY Network

Crafters' Caddies From "Creative Juice" episode DCRJ-508

(Continued from page 3)

It's a pincushion with a twist as we use a small flowerpot and some green fabric to make a bright, blooming new home for your pins.

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Easy-Peasy Pincushion

Easy-Peasy Pincushion

Materials:

small terra-cotta plant pot
low-nap green fun fur
fiber filling
hand-sewing needle
thread
hot glue and glue gun
optional: terra cotta paint

1. Optional: paint the pot with terra-cotta paint and allow it to dry.

2. Place the green fun fur fabric down and cut it 4" larger than the rim of the pot (figure A).

3. Using embroidery floss and a needle, sew a running stitch about 1/2" from the outer edge of the fabric (figure B). Do not tie or cut the thread.

Figure A

Figure B

4. Place some fiber filling inside the ball and begin gathering up the fabric by pulling on the needle and thread (figure C). Add filling as necessary. The more filling you can fit into the pincushion, the firmer it will be.

5. Gather up the circle and stitch it off securely.

6. Edge the inside of the pot with hot glue and place the pillow inside. Push it in firmly (figure D) and allow the glue to cool and dry.

Figure C

Figure D

Think shrink! We've got an easy way to use shrink paper to make cute flower-themed pins.

Shrunken Flower Pins

Shrunken Flower Pins

Materials:

shrink paper
printed flower designs, each flower approximately 1" diameter
colored pencils and markers
detail scissors
hole punch
bamboo skewer
embossing or heat gun
pearl-headed straight pins
tacky glue
oven

1. Place a sheet of shrink paper over the flower design and trace a flower (figure A). Alternately, draw 1" diameter flowers freehand onto the shrink paper. Color flower shapes with colored pencils or markers (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

2. Cut out the flower shapes and punch a hole in the center of each (figure C).

3. Heat and shrink the flowers according to the shrink paper package instructions. While shrinking, hold each flower still by inserting a bamboo skewer into the center hole (figure D). Alternately, shrink the flowers in the oven per the shrink paper manufacturer's instructions.

4. Using the bamboo skewer, dab a tiny drop of tacky glue at the center of each flower and insert a pearl-headed straight pin in the center of each (figure E). Allow the glue to dry.

Figure C

Figure D

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