Turn an Empty Spool into a Toadstool Pincushion Tutorial

I love that this toadstool pincushion is made of an empty thread spool. I have been in a sewing mode lately, and have collected a few of these empty spools. Last night, it just occurred to me that they would make the perfect toadstool trunk for a quick and easy-to-make pincushion.

Materials:
a white (empty) thread spool
a large circle of red felt (mine is about 6 inches in diameter)
various small roundish shapes of white felt (they don’t have to be circles, in fact, a little imperfection here creates a more natural look)
poly fill
small pieced of sturdy cardboard

Optional Materials:
green felt, cut to resemble grass and long enough to fit around the bottom of your spool
little plastic or fabric flowers

Things to Have Handy:
scissors, needle, thread, glue gun

How-To

Gather all your materials and supplies.
Take the small piece of cardboard, place your stool on it and use it as a template to trace a circle.

Cut the cardboard circle, and use your glue gun, paste it on top of the spool. This will become the trunk top of the toadstool.

Take the large felt circle and sew onto it the small white felt circles.

With needle and thread, stitch around the red felt circle, gather the fabric and insert the poly fill.

Insert the top of the spool (the one with the cardboard on it) into the stuffed felt circle. Gathered the fabric tightly around the spool by pulling on the thread. Fasten off the thread and further secure the trunk to the cap by dabbing small amount of hot glue around it. Your pincushion is all done and ready to use.

If you want to embellish it a little bit more, use the green felt piece shaped like grass. Use the glue gun to attach it to the bottom of the spool. Attach the little flowers…and voila! Quick and easy pincushion that gets you to use things that you would otherwise throw away.

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