Fussy Cuts, Food Scraps, and Forest Dwellers
Hello! Here are two fun projects that I recently finished. One is practical, and one is ridiculously cute.
EPP Pincushion
This sweet little pincushion slips right into the throat of my sewing machine. It can stay out of my way while still being close enough to use constantly. It is so handy! Although I enjoy EPP, I am sadly lacking in skill. I usually end up with weak and visible seams and distorted shapes. But this little pincushion is a hard project to mess up, perfect for me!
I decided that I wanted the hexie flower to resemble… you guessed it… a flower, so I made the center hexagon yellow and surrounded it with blue petals. After pulling the appropriately colored blue prints from my stash, I began to see a theme across the prints. One side of the pincushion is the forest flora, or plant life, which features a wildflower and mushrooms. The reverse side of the pincushion is forest fauna, or creatures. I’ve got two foxes, a deer, and…. Princess Leia. Okay, it’s a bit of a stretch, but in the Obi-wan Kenobi mini-series Princess Leia was a little girl who spent a lot of time in the nearby forest. I think it works, and I just couldn’t overcome the desire to fussy cut that adorable Star Wars fabric. I’ve already gotten a lot of use out of this project, and it really is so convenient.
Mini Macaroons
Aren’t these the cutest! The instant I saw the tutorial over at Arabesque Scissors I put this project on my list. These little zip pouches are hand sewn and only two inches in diameter, making them a finicky, but wholly and entirely adorable project. A few weeks ago my family went on a short trip, and I packed a box of assorted scraps, zippers, and a few sewing notions. Everyone got to pick a fabric, lining, and zipper combo, this citrus one was my sister’s arrangement.
As much as I loved this project idea, I wasn’t about to spend ten dollars on the aluminum disks that the pattern calls for. My solution: a little bit cardboard. I cut a cardboard circle and a piece of foam to size and covered them with the exterior fabric. I also added a little stuffing to make the macaroons look a little fuller. It can’t get wet, but it was free! And one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon is creating a small and spontaneous project that I happen to already have all the materials for. So satisfying! The lining was interfaced with Pellon Craft-fuse. It’s super stiff and works great for projects like this.
Getting to fussy cut these fabrics was pretty fun. Both the banana and the citrus fabics were fat quarters I picked up at Joanns, (I just realized that they're both food themed… hmm, I must tend to fabric shop when hungry). Not the highest quality fabric, but they worked. This was my first time sucessfully using the ladder stitch, and it looks great! I’ll definitely use it again in the future. Because the macaroons are so little, there are very few items you can fit in them. Ali of Arabesque Scissors suggested storing wonder clips, crochet stitch markers, or a thimble inside. At the moment, I’m storing my thimble in my banana macaroon, but I’m really liking the thought of using them to store earrings - they’re the perfect size.
Both of these projects are the sort of small - and super fun- scrap busting projects that you can squeeze into an afternoon. And they’re both hand sewn, which is a departure from my typical creations. These were a fun change of pace, and both of them were mainly constructed while I was on vacation (the pincushion was pieced on a drive down to Disneyland). I have a lot more projects that I need to share on the blog, so keep your eyes peeled (banana pun intended) for my newest makes.
Project Overview - Macaroons
Finished Date: Early December 2023
Cost: $0
Materials: Cardboard, Craft-fuse, foam, stuffing, stash fabric, zipper.
Pattern: Arabesque Scissors tutorial
Project Overview - EPP Pincusion
Finished Date: October 2023
Cost: $0
Materials: Stash fabric, stuffing, cardstock.
Inspiration: Amista Baker batting busting post
