I love International Quilting Day. I love how quilters around the world celebrate it. In many places, quilters hang their beautiful creations off balconies and porches for people to see. Sadly, it’s a rainy day here, so it’s not possible – I don’t have any protected area to put a quilt, and my windows facing the front are too small and needed for the light that I can’t hang them there. Oh well, there’s always next year, right?

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to spend International Quilting Day – called IQD by many – with fellow quilters, but this year, it’s a quiet one. I was up very early, as I am most days and I decided I needed a new pincushion. That was my IQD project and gift to myself. It was a lovely pattern and very easy to put together.

This was the pattern I bought from Etsy: Smitten Pin Cushion. It was fast because I used a solid piece of fabric for the top, rather than paper piecing it, but I still am very happy with it.

I decided to use bright colours to cheer me up on a grey day. They did!

The instructions were great and easy to follow. I’m not going to detail any of the piece sizes because that wouldn’t be fair to the designer, but I can show photos of how the pincushion went together:

It’s got tabs on either side of the top for clips, felt on the end for needles, and two tiny slots along the long side for a seam ripper or anything else you’d like to put there.

I finished it by stuffing it with some leftover poly stuffing and some rice. I didn’t have any of the other recommended stuffings, but this worked.

Do you make pincushions? Do you have a favourite pattern?