Angry Pincushions...

The BMQG is participating in the Modern Quilt Guild’s International Pincushion Swap and submissions need to be in for our November meeting.  Since my November is looking pretty full, I tried to ditch my procrastinating ways for once and get it done before the end of the month.  I’ve never made a pin cushion before, so decided to go web browsing for ideas.  Have you ever tried to get inspired by doing a simple Google or Flickr search and gotten completely overwhelmed by the serious sewing talent out there?  Yeah, I hear you.  There is some SERIOUS gorgeous out there.

Photo courtesy of Kim at My Go-Go Life

But instead of going pretty, I thought I’d try quirky instead.  Us quilters can be pretty funky and pop-culture loving too, you know.  So provided I end up swapping with someone with that sort of sensibility, this pin cushion could turn out to be a big hit!  Otherwise it might be an epic fail.
 

Introducing Pincushion Baby Pig of Angry Birds fame

 I found and followed this tutorial that was originally for a fleece plush version of the Angry Birds character but figured it wouldn’t be too hard to translate into cottons.  Cotton is a little less forgiving and a little more prone to looking wrinkly instead of round, but what can you do?  I’m loving it but I did have a little problem with Baby Pig being a bit snout-heavy.  When it was all put together, he tipped forward like he was kissing my cutting mat. 

 

 

Hmm…what to do?  I started rummaging around in my random craft drawer and found large glass marble discs that I’ve used for photo magnets before.  I cut a round piece of matching green fabric and did a running stitch around the edge, pulled tight and basted it to the bottom of the pincushion. 

 

Voila – a weighted stand that keeps Baby Pig sitting tall!

  

And just before you go thinking that this innocent piggy doesn’t deserve to be stuck with pins and needles, please just remember that they steal eggs from poor defenseless birds. 

 

Well, maybe not defenseless. They do have bombs after all.

 

Yeah, you’d better hide dude.