The Billy Lids

Create a bouquet of cute little flower pincushions for gifts or fund-raisers.

What You Need: Materials for oval pincushion

• 9 X 11” piece pink print
• 9 X 11” piece fusible interfacing
• 3-1/2 X 1-1/2” oval craft paper box

What You Need: Materials for round pincushion

• 10” square green print
• 10” square fusible interfacing
• 2-3/4 X 3” round craft paper box

What You Need: For both pincushions

• Off-white or cream acrylic paint
• 2 — 2 X 10” pieces decorative paper
• 2 each of 1/4 X 4” and 1/4 X 10” pieces black-and white check ribbon
• 2 — 1-3/8 X 10” pieces green 1-1/2”-wide rickrack
• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Bookbinding glue
• Tacky glue
• Small sponge brush
• Paste wax: light brown
• Polyester fibrefill
• Fine crafts sand
• Heavy-duty sewing thread

Download the Pattern

Cut Your Fabrics: For pincushion tops

1. Lay fusible interfacing, paper side up, over oval and circle patterns.

2. Use a pencil to trace each pattern.

3. Cut out interfacing shapes roughly 1/4” outside traced lines.

4. Following manufacturer’s instructions, press oval and round interfacing shapes onto backs of designated fabrics; let cool.

5. Cut out fabric shapes on drawn lines and peel off paper backings.

How to Make It

1. Set aside oval box lid for another use. Paint outside of box with two coats of acrylic paint; allow drying time after each application. Use fine-grit sandpaper to sand box until some of original craft paper box colour is visible through paint.

2. Measure around outside of box for circumference. Using pinking shears, cut a strip of decorative paper 1/2 wide by circumference, plus 1/4” for overlap.

3. Centre and glue 10”-long ribbon over paper strip. Adhere strip around lower edge of box, 1/4” from bottom, using bookbinding glue.

4. Cover outside of box lightly with light brown paste wax; let dry. Buff box with soft cloth.

5. Run a thin line of tacky glue around inside top edge of box. Press 1-3/8 X 10” green rickrack in place on inside of box.

6. Using heavy-duty thread and a running stitch, sew around pink print interfaced oval 1/4” from outer edge (see Oval Pattern). Gently pull thread tails to gather oval until diameter is about 3”.

7. Fill oval halfway with crafts sand. Stuff fibrefill into opening until full. Whipstitch opening closed.

8. Stuff fibrefill into painted box bottom. Mould sand and fibrefill-stuffed oval to fit inside top of box. Run a line of tacky glue around inside of box below rickrack edge; fit stuffed oval into box.

9. Tie a 4”-long piece of ribbon with a loose overhand knot. Glue atop ribbon strip.

10. Repeat steps 1 through 8 to make a second pincushion, using box and green print fabric circle.