This picture shows three miniature pumpkins ready for felting. If you try the pattern don't be surprised at the pre-felted shape. I know it looks more like a football, but in the end it will look like a pumpkin. I promise.
I decided to make one of these into a pincushion. I did a little research and found that a pincushion can be stuffed with anything. It's really a matter of personal taste. Pincushions are often filled with sawdust, but you can use cotton batting, wool roving, poly-fil, emery (metal shavings) or fine sand. I read here that wool roving was often used in combination with sawdust. The lanolin in the wool roving keeps the pins from rusting.
I wanted the one I made to be solid and firm, so I decided to use sawdust. Since I needed only a small amount, I bought an inexpensive tomato pincushion, cut it apart and used the sawdust inside. This cushion also came with a strawberry emery, which I left intact and sewed inside the stem of the pumpkin.
You can see the pumpkin pincushion below along with some new pumpkins that have been added to my pumpkin patch.
And I'm not sure I'm done yet.
Cute!!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who used to make pincushions, and she used to put a steel wool ball in the middle under the sawdust. She claimed it helped keep the pins sharp. (I haven't tried it myself!)
what a great idea! those are so cute! Do you think a beginner -- er, pre-beginner - could handle it?
ReplyDeleteTracey, they are adorable!!!!!!!! I just may have to try a few!!
ReplyDeletewhat a great idea to use the little strawberry in the stem! Love your garden
ReplyDeleteTracy, I love the pumpkins. We miss you here in Iowa. I had to think of you as I started cutting out blankets for the next TPP work group meeting. It won't be the same without you.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Hmmm...all of these pumpkins are reminding me of the days when Dad always had 10 or 15 gourds drying in the garage that he would later make into highly useful items like canteens you couldn't drink from...;) Just don't let Dad near these with the Dremel.
ReplyDeleteNow *that* was clever! And cute too!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you could make pincushions shaped like apples if you left out the step of tying the yarn around the stuffed shape to make ribs? Hmmmm.....
ReplyDeleteKim in MI,
ReplyDeleteThought I had your email address, but couldn't find it. Felting projects are great for beginning knitters, because mistakes are often erased in the felting process. The hardest part about these would be knitting on double point needles. Most people learn to knit back and forth on straight needles first. Knitting on dpns is not hard, just awkward and a little floppy until you have knitted a few inches of fabric. This might make learning to knit frustrating.
Tracy
Adorable!!
ReplyDeleteAre double-point needles the ones that have the little loopy-thingie connecting them? Or are they needles that don't have a "head" at one end?
ReplyDeleteWell I don't really know how to knit on anything, LOL. So I won't know if it's any harder than anything else.
Does my email show up in here if I fill out the fields? Oh, look, there's no email field. LOL!
it's kim at andfam dot net. :-)
Okay, so what kind of needles should I buy, and what kind of yarn? Some kind of wool? Could I find what I needed at the craft section of WalMart? I've seen your cute pictures of fancy yarn stores, but as a pre-newbie they scare me. LOL.
The pumpkins are adorable and I will treasure the birthday pumpkin I received from you. I'll definitely have to try one myself now that I have seen them in person. Glad you showed the pre-stuffed shape so I won't get scared when mine doesn't come out round. I'm still not comfortable with the dpn's but guess that will come with more practice.
ReplyDeleteLinda B