Pincushion and Snip-It’s Bag
This pincushion helps keep your pins and needles ready for use as well as keeping all those
thread and fabric clippings off of the floor and your workspace.
Created by: Stacey Roseberry
RoseberryLane.com
Supplies:
Say Goodbye to this….
• ½ Yard fabric A (cut as follows)
1- 17” x 13” outside bag
1- 5” x 6” pincushion
• ½ Yard fabric B (cut as follows)
1- 17” x 12 ½” inside bag
1- 3 ¾” x 5” pincushion
1- 10 ½” x 6 ½” strap
• 3” x 4” Strip of wool felt
• 3 ½” x 4” Scrap cotton fabric to
These are my pins and work area on a good day.
match the wool felt
This project is a great way to keep your supplies
• 4” x 7” Light colored cotton scrap
accessible and work area t.
bag for rice or other weighted item
• 4” x 8 ½” Gripper fabric (sold at some stores on the bolt, usually with the interfacings, or
pre-packaged with the names: Jiffy Grip, Slipper Grippers or Dritz Anti-Slid Gripper
Fabric). This is usually a fleeced back knit with dots of rubber used on the bottom of
slippers or on children’s footed pajamas.
• 18” - ¼” Plastic boning (uncovered, but I can usually only find covered boning so I just
remove the casing)
• Fiber fill or clean natural wool
• Rice, craft sand, crushed walnuts, anything you can find to weight your pin cushion
• Baby Lock A-Line sewing machine
• Chalk or disappearing fabric pen
• Coordinating all purpose thread
• Ruler
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Iron and pressing cloth
• Hand sewing needle
*Use a ⅜” inch seam for this project, unless otherwise stated.
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Instructions:
1. Cut all fabric pieces to size
2. Fold the following pieces in half and sew a ⅜” seam:
a. Fabric A: Outside bag 17” x 13” to make an 8 ⅛” x 13” rectangle.
b. Fabric B: Inside bag 17” x 12 ½” to make an 8 ⅛” x 12 ½” rectangle.
c. Fabric B: Strap 10 ½” x 6 ½” to make a 4 ¾” x 6 ½” rectangle.
3. Press:
a. Fabric A: Outside bag press seams opened.
b. Fabric B: Inside bag press seams opened.
c. Fabric B: Strap press seams opened turn right side out, centering the seam
press flat.
4. Pin bottoms of Fabric A and B bag pieces right sides together, centering the
seam. If your fabric has a pattern, double check that you are pinning the bottom
of the pattern and not the top.
a. Sew a ⅜” seam on Fabric A bag
all the way across.
b. Sew a ⅜” seam on Fabric B bag
leaving a 2 ½” opening in the
center.
5. Making the squared bottom
a. Open the bottom of the bag as
shown to form a point at each
end.
b. Mark up 1 ¾” from the corner to
make a right triangle.
1 ¾”
c. Repeat for the opposite side.
d. Stitched marked line.
e. Trim excess fabric, leaving a ¼”
seam allowance.
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f. Turn bag right side out.
g. Repeat for Fabric B inside bag,
but leave inside out.
6. Fishing the bag
a. Place right sides together, with
Fabric A on the inside.
b. Match seams and pin.
c. Sew around opening, keeping
bottom fabric flat and smooth.
d. Turn bags right side out by
going through the opening in
the bottom of Fabric B bag.
e. On the bottom of Fabric B bag,
fold in ⅜” seam allowance and
topstitch closed, sewing close
to the edge.
6.1
6.4
6.5
f. Place the inside bag into the
outside bag and press.
g. Fold the top of the bag down ¾”
and press.
h. Set aside.
6.6
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7. Constructing the Pincushion
a. Cut the wool felt into a half circle by folding the 3” x 4” piece in half, forming a 3”
x 2” rectangle and
rounding the outside
corners.
b. Sew the felt half circle
to the matching cotton
scrap, using ¼” seam.
Clip and trim seam
allowance as well as
any extra fabric at the
bottom edge.
c. Turn right side out and
press using a pressing
cloth.
d. Take the wool felt half circle and place in on top of the Fabric A
strip, matching the straight edge. Secure by top stitching using the
Tricot Stitch (Multiple Zigzag Stitch), (pictured right).
e. Place right sides together and layer Fabric B pincushion on top of
the wool felt and Fabric A pieces, matching the side seam.
i. Optional: If you would like an elastic band to hold a seam
ripper, you may insert it here in between this seam, with the
loop inside the fabric.
f. Stitch and press seams flat to one side, allowing the wool felt to lay flat.
g. Top stitch ¼” to secure the wool felt and Fabric A to the underside of Fabric B.
h. Take the Fabric B strap and center it along the long side of the pincushion.
i. Lay the Gripper fabric right side down on top of the other 2 pieces and stitch,
using a ⅜” seam.
j. Roll up the strap and tuck it
inside the pincushion and stitch
the other long end of the
pincushion, right sides together.
k. Pin and stitch one end closed,
folding under the excess fabric
evenly on both sides.
l. Turn right side out.
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8. Making the weighted bag
a. Fold the 4” x 7” light colored cotton scrap in half and stitch both sides. Clip
corners.
b. Fill the bag with rice (you may also use, clean sand, crushed walnut shells). Do
NOT over fill the bag; leave enough room to fold in the seam allowance.
c. Sew the bag closed and reinforce your stitching by sewing the end twice.
9. Attaching the pincushion to the
scrap bag.
a. Slide the strap under the
folded edge, matching the
seams, until it is fully
inserted under the folded
edge.
b. Create a casing for the
boning by sewing ⅜” from
the top folded edge, leaving
a 1 ½” opening. Keeping
the strap flat against the bag
and make sure that both
layers of fabric meet at the
fold.
c. Cut one edge of the boning
at an angle. Insert boning
and cut off any access.
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d.
d. Keeping the boning to one
side, and using the zipper
foot, sew the opening
close.
10. Finishing
a. Firmly fill the pincushion 1/3 of the way with the fiberfill. A pencil eraser works
well to get the fiberfill deeply into the corners.
b. Insert the weighted bag.
c. Continue filling the pincushion by placing the fiberfill on top of the weighted bag
and then the rest of the pincushion.
d. With a hand sewing needle and thread, sew the opening closed while adding a
small amount more of fiberfill to the corners. Sew the end twice for
reinforcement.
e. Fill with pins and add your needles to the wool felt.
This project also makes a great gift for any crafter,
and
it’s
perfect
for
the
seamstress,
knitter/crotchetier, needlepoint lover, as well as the
scrap-booker. Add elastic straps to hold seam
rippers, fabric pens, or other craft items. Make an
extra one for the car, and place the pincushion in the
glove box to keep trash in its place.
For other exciting projects like this one, visit our
Web site at totallystitchin.net
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