DIY Pin Cushion from Recycled Materials and Fabric Scraps

Well, it's my first blog entry aside from my introduction.  Kind of scary but hey, you've got to start somewhere, right? 

Well, I suppose my first project I will post will be my favorite DIY pin cushion.  This is an easy thing to make and for those of you who do not sew, the good news is that you don't even have to!  Here's what the finished project looks like.

The things you will need are:

• a recycled tin or can
• Glue (you can use any that dries clear)
• a strip of fabric that is long enough and tall enough to go around your tin or can
• fiber fill (Preferably from an old stuffed animal or use that Christmas snow you're planning on throwing away)
• flat block of styrofoam (optional but make sure that it only comes up half way up the can/tin)
• something to cut the styrofoam with
• a square of fabric which is about 2" larger than your can/tin

Instructions:

Step 1: The first step is to glue the fabric strip around your can or tin.  I used a small tin for this as I tend to put out all of my pins before I work.  If you don't have a strip of fabric.  You can use ribbon, duck tape, yarn, etc as well.  I do not have a picture of this step unfortunately.

Step 2: Press your can or tin down on the styrofoam and cut out the imprint of the circle.  I used a drywall saw to do this but a knife should work as well.  Then put the syrofoam circle into the tin/can.  This is optional if you do not have any.

Step 3: Put some fiber fill and any beeds of styrofoam into the can.  Don't worry about over stuffing it, in fact, go ahead and do so.  It will flatten out once you put the fabric over it.

Step 4: Put the fabric over the fiber fill and begin pushing the fabric square  into the sides of the can.  I used some scrap fabric that I had lying around.

Step 5: Use a pair of scissors to push the raw edges all the way down the sides of the can.  You want no fiber fill showing or any raw edges.

Step 6: Once you have all the raw edges hidden and have the fiber fill hidden, let the glue dry.

Once it is dry, it's all ready to use!

I found that this worked out well with a smaller cookie tin but even a tuna can will work for this project, just don't use the styrofoam.  As for the outside, you can use duck tape (they have some REALLY nice designs in Michaels Craft Stores for reasonable prices), ribbon, or even yarn if you wanted to take the time to wrap it.  If you're using a nice tin and you don't want to cover it, you don't even have to.

Another variation which I plan on doing is buying some magnets and gluing them to the bottom of the tin so that you can make pin pick up easier.  If you are afraid that the edges will come up, simply put some glue on the sides when you're stuffing the fabric into the sides.

Hope this inspires everyone to make some personalized stuff for your craft area!