Worked on a whim
Pincushion
Just before Christmas I was struggling with the “Dreams of Amarna” designs, but I still had itchy fingers from longing to stitch, and sore eyes from staring at “Eve In The Garden of Eden“, so I wanted something a bit less precise..
My Dad’s shaving cream comes in a rather nice wooden pot. There are refills, but sometimes the shop doesn’t have them, and consequently – since they’re much too nice to throw away – my parents have ended up with something of a stockpile. I’ve taken one of them off their hands, and turned it into a pincushion.
Coral Stitch
At the moment the lid is being used as a coaster, but I am open to suggestions for it!
The threads are silks, bought at the Knitting and Stitching Show, worked on felt acquired at the same time. I created the shape of the pincushion itself with shaping stitches, stitching around and around the padding and the felt top layer, rather as doll and puppet makers do, and once I’d settled it into the bowl, I drew a chalk line around the waist, took the pincushion out, and started stitching.
Lucet
Coral Stitch, Cable Chain (do I ever do anything that Cable Chain doesn’t sneak into somehow?), Semi-Closed Feather Stitch, and Scroll Stitch, all stitched into the felt, catching as little of the stuffing as I could.
Then I decided to do make a scissors-keeper for my lovely Ernest Wright and Son Ltd scissors, so I started by using one of the threads, and my lucet, to make a cord for it. I’d forgotten some of the knack of lucetting, but it came back gradually, and it’s ever so satisfying!
Finished Pair
The stitches on the scissors keeper are Sorbello Stitches (another favourite of mine) and Tied Cross Stitches, and the the pieces of felt are stitched together with ordinary blanket stitch. In silk!
Don’t they look good…!
YES THEY DO!!! I love this little pin cushion. The wooden base is perfect. I really love the scissors keeper — a beautiful home for a beautiful ‘tool of the trade’.
You taught me something new today 🙂 I never heard of Lucet and googled it. It looks like a very interesting technique.
A very good use for a pot – yes, far too nice to throw away. You will be using those tools with pride. The cord is beautifully even.
What a delicious pin cushion.
🙂 Recycling at its finest–from the mundane to art!
What an imaginative piece of recycling for the pincushion, and I love your little scissors keeper.
love your transformation. amazing that it’s wood. just beautiful.
lovely embroidery accessories!! It’s great to have a diversion….
They do indeed! Lovely work, and the scissors keeper is so cute. I am impressed that anything comes in a wooden pot these days!
A brilliant upcycle!
pretty pin cushion.
Brilliant recycling – I love anything using wood: my “thread catcher” is a little wooden bowl! Aren’t lucets lovely to use too.
That really IS a nice container! I’m envious. The pincushion is delightful. I’ve not thought about embellishing my wooly one, but after seeing this, I might!
Wow what a wonderful creative project from start to finish.
I love how you transformed that wooden pot. It most certainly would be a shame to just throw them away. Your pincushion and scissor keep are very pretty.
A great little piece and I have to say I love making cords with my Lucet.
Both the pin cushion and the scissor keep turned out so pretty! You might want to take a few more of those off your parent’s hands. They would make lovely gifts that would be sure to be cherished.
Thanks so much for linking up to last week’s Stitchery Link Party. Aloha hugs!
Excellent ‘upcycling’!