Blair will walk you through the steps to make a bespoke pincushion reminiscent of the Japanese Yunomi teacup (your favorite, every day, perfect-to-hold cup). We will embroider the top of the pincushion using the vintage embroidery technique of Chicken Scratch. Suitable for beginners and seasoned stitchers, this small project is likely to become a treasured sewing tool.

Materials

• One approximately 10" x 10" piece of gingham fabric in quilting cotton or linen. *Note–The diameter of the embroidered top should be approximately twice the size of the diameter of the cup’s opening. For instance, a 2" diameter cup will require a 4" pincushion top. Keep the panel of fabric large enough to fit comfortably inside your embroidery hoop until it is completely embroidered. (See additional note below.)

• A small cup suitable for a pincushion top (teacup, tiny bowl or jar, etc)

• A few colors of 6-strand embroidery floss to coordinate with the gingham

• Template of stitch pattern (following)

• Ruler or tape measure

• Pencil to trace circle

• A drawing compass or something round and close in size to what you the size circle you need

• Fabric marking pen (Blair uses a Frixion pen).

• 6" embroidery hoop

• Size 3 or similar embroidery needle

• Fabric scissors or pinking shears

• Iron and ironing surface

• A bit of Polyfill or similar for stuffing the pincushion top

• Thread snips (optional)

• E6000 glue to hold your pincushion top inside base securely.

  A note on gingham size - It is best if the individual gingham squares on your fabric measure ¼" sq. This is a fairly standard size in gingham. Using larger or smaller sized squares will not give you the best result for this project. You can try those if you plan to use this embroidery pattern for another project. It’s all about experimenting!