Sundae's Best Pincushion

by Roseann Kermes

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Gather your Supplies

•  Large pedestal ice cream sundae dish approximately 5” in diameter

• Fat quarters, 10” layer cuts, or scraps for pincushion

• 1/2 yard tiny pompom trim

• Cotton batting and cotton stuffing

• Heavy cardstock

• 12 wt thread, perle cotton or embroidery floss

• Basic sewing supplies including a fabric glue stick, Frixion marking pen

• Clover extra-small Yo-Yo Maker {optional} 

Preparing the Pincushion Top

1. On a piece of heavy cardstock, such as a cereal box, trace around the top of the candy dish and cut out the circle with scissors. You can also use the template provided. Make two circles.
2. Using the circle as a template, cut out two circles of cotton batting. Use the glue stick to glue the batting to the circle. Put one aside.
3. Take one of the cardstock/batting combinations and glue it to the wrong side of a piece of fabric. {This will show on the underside of your pincushion.} Cut out 1/2” from the cardstock and clip around the edge. Use the glue stick to wrap the fabric to the backside of the cardstock.
4. Cut a piece of fabric 10”x10” for the top of the pincushion. Layer it with a piece of cotton batting the same size.
5. Using the remaining cardstock/batting circle as a template, trace the circle in the center of the fabric with a removable marker. {The Frixion pen can be ironed away.}
6. Hand quilt the fabric inside the circle and 2” beyond with 12 wt thread, floss, or perle cotton. Use bigger stitches so they show. Quilt around fabric motifs to make it interesting.

Making the Scallops

1. Make a cardstock template of the scallop. Trace around the template nine times on to fabric that will be the back of the scallop. Allow at least an inch between templates. You can use all of the same fabric for the back of the scallops or mix them.
2. Layer a piece of cotton batting, the fabric for the front of the scallop, right side up, and the fabric for the back of the scallop, right side down. The traced template will be on the top layer.
3. With a shortened stitching length, stitch on the traced line, pivoting carefully at the curves. Backstitch at the beginning and the end of the seam.
4. Cut out 1/4” beyond the stitching line. Trim the cotton batting to 1/8” from the stitching line. Clip the curves and turn the pieces right side out. Your front fabric should be on one side, back fabric on the other side, with right sides out, and the cotton batting in the middle.
5. Blanket stitch around the outside of the scallops with the thread you used for quilting. If using floss, use 2-3 strands.
6. Make nine yo-yo’s with the extra-small Clover Yo-Yo Maker. If you don’t have one, use the small circle template and trace nine circles. Turn under 1/4” to the wrong side and gather close to the edge. Pull up tightly to make a circle.
7. Anchor the yo-yo’s to the scallops with small stitches, hiding the stitches so they don’t show on the back. 
   

Finishing Touches

1. On the quilted pincushion piece, measure 1 1/2” beyond the traced circle and cut out. Remove your tracing marks.
2. With two strands of heavy thread, using large stitches, gather 1/2” from the raw edge. Pull up slightly and distribute gathers.
3. Fill the center with cotton batting, then insert the remaining cardstock circle, batting side down. Pull up the strings so they are tight, stuffing more as needed. Knot off the thread securely. Glue the raw edge to the cardstock.
4. Take the fabric covered cardstock circle and glue it to the bottom of the pincushion, covering the raw edges. With one strand of sewing thread, whip stitch the edges of the pincushion base and the cardstock together. You’ll be catching the edge of the fabric and not going through the cardstock.
5. Pin the scallops evenly around the pincushion. It helps to place it in the sundae dish at this point. The scallops should sit at the edge where the pincushion top and the base come together. Whip stitch them in place with sewing thread.
6. Stitch or glue the tiny pompom trim around the base of the pincushion, covering up the raw edges of the scallops. Butt the cut edges together.
7. That’s it! You’re finished! Store your sewing supplies in the base so they’re handy and you'll be ready to sew.