How to make a tea cup pin cushion

Welcome to the first of my handmade gifts tutorial series, this week showing you how to make a tea cup pin cushion 🙂

With Christmas just around the corner, we’ve all got a big list of presents to buy and for those of you crafty types, the list includes quite a few handmade items. Am I right? From sewing, to knitting, crochet, patchwork, quilting and decoupage our lists include some beautiful gifts. If only we had enough time to make them all…Sigh!

The beauty of handmade gifts is that, apart from being unique and having that little extra added value that the time, love and effort that goes into them gives them, they can be rather inexpensive and believe it or not, some can be super quick to make and what’s even better they can be made with recycled items!

A quick trip to a charity shop or boot sale, a rummage through our fabric stashes, kitchen cupboards or wardrobes and a visit to an haberdashery store can provide us with all we need to make a tea cup pin cushion for our dear friend or relative who loves sewing, because let’s face it…we’ve all got one of those, right? And…if not, go on and treat yourself to one! It only takes 15 minutes to make, I promise. Follow this tutorial and you too will learn how to make a tea cup pin cushion in 15 minutes!

What you will need

  • One quarter of a metre (10″) of fabric
  • A plate or round object 18-19cm (7″) diameter
  • A nylon sock
  • Wadding, cotton wool or fabric scraps for filling
  • Scissors
  • Needle
  • Thread
  • Super glue
  • A tea cup

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

Step 1. Place the plate over your fabric and draw around it. Cut out you fabric.

how to make a tea cup pin cushion

Step 2. Stuff the sock with your chosen material until you have a nice compact ball about the size of a fist, knot the end tight and cut off the excess material.

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

Step 3. Thread a needle with a long piece of doubled up thread and sew long running stitches all around the fabric at about 1cm (3/8″) from the edge.

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

Step 4. Place the stuffed sock on the fabric circle pull on the threads and knot them up tight. Cut off the loose ends.

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

Step 5. Squeeze a line of super glue inside the cup, some at the bottom and some half way around and push the cushion inside pressing down for 10-15 seconds.

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

Step 6. Arrange some pretty pins on the cushion and there you are! A pretty tea cup pin cushion done in 15 minutes and that’s one handmade gift you can cross off your list!

How to make a tea cup pin cushion

Happy gift making!

Elena x