Stitch A Long February & March, & More...

Well it's been a bit of a finishing off week for me with sewing. That happens when your going on a stitching weekend away with the girls....and I need to pack. I found some bits, oops that needed just finishing off so why not. Tidy, Finish and Pack, so this has happened for a little more than a week now.

There was the scissor keep that we are making as a swap for GDITC, I am so looking forward to going, and this pattern has been in my stash printed off to make for ages. It is a Lynette Anderson Design and a freebie on her blog. It was so easy and went together really quickly, and I made my own braid and tassle - yeah me!

 

 Then there were a few cups of chai,

  whilst I stitched and worked on the binding for a few more Love/Hope quilts, post to come in a few days with more on these.

 Oh and then there was the extra stitchery, and pieces that I had cut ready for my double up of February's True Friends Tote Stitch-A-Long from Natalie Bird's RED HOME (with my altered Natalie Lymer's Cinderberry Stitches stitchery), yes I had planned to do it in February, but well it got put under something and then under something else...so it's now complete...and yes it's perfect for my crocheting, I even added a little pocket on the inside that's divided so that my needle (or a pen) is in a safe spot as are my scissors (or my phone). Packed and ready to run out the door for car trip hooking :)

Then there was March's Stitch-A-Long Pin Cushion from Some Kind of Wonderful by Anni Downs. As per my do it twice and gift one, or store as a gift for later and keep one for myself. Of course I did 2 and modified one, for an upcoming Birthday. I loved this project as I am a keeper of scraps, I have a basket full of them, I hate to say that they cats think it's a bed and love to sleep in it. But It's my go too for small projects. I was even lucky enough that the gifted one, on my rummage in my scraps it matches her birthday gift from 2010 in this post

While Stitching away, I was pondering the stuffing. Now I have made a few pincushions in my time. And have always liked/prefered the harder ones, but they usually involve a button/ or stitch though the centre, after stuffing to then help make it a little firmer. I also like them to have some weight in them so that they stay put and don't float around. So I researched and it seems that there are many things to stuff pincushions with. I did like the sound crushed walnut shell, apparently it is sold as bedding for reptiles, but after sending hubby on a pet shop mission and he visited 3. We were out of luck, although one sales assistant was very helpful and did suggest buying and blending the nuts myself. She did mention that somebody had asked her before for them for the same reason.  

So what are you stuffing your pin cushions with???

I opted for my usual, Steel wool centre, and then thought I would try rice as a wieght, then the question was how to get that in the centre of the pin cushion - Glad Wrap  - OK. Now you see that pin cushion and you see my wrapped steelwool coated rice bundle....mmm HOW DOES IT GET IN?????

OK, so it's not going in, so I unwrapped and ended up with a mess of rice, but all items went in with much difficulty, my pin cushions look lovely, although they are not as heavy as others I have done, and are a little floaty, but they work and hey look aren't they cute???

 And mine of course matches my Sue Daley Clam Shell roll that I made last year, which you can see in this post - I had just enough scraps for the pin cushion. It matches and also fits perfectly into the roll. Match made in heaven.

 Then I have been wanting since purchasing this Tilda Tin last year that I wanted a fabric liner - well today was the day - and I love it, it's not perfect, but it works - and holds all my bits and it doesn't rattle as much.

Well what a week, tonight's pile of hand stitching is ready - yes those bindings need hand stitching down...