THREADS AWAY
A tidy workspace is the envy of all quilters – keep yours organised with Laura Pritchard’s handy thread bin and pin cushion combo.
A tidy workspace is the envy of all quilters – stay organised with Laura Pritchard’s handy thread bin and pin cushion.
NOTES
■ Seam allowances are ¼ in throughout, unless otherwise noted. ■ RST = right sides together. ■ Backstitch at the start and end of every seam throughout. ■ A zipper foot is useful but not necessary for this project.
FABRIC USED
■ Robert Kaufman Essex Dyed Linen in Flax. ■ Fabric scraps from a range of designers including Tula Pink, Bonnie Christine and Cotton+ Steel.
CUTING OUT
1 For the pincushion cut: ■ Two ( 2) 6 ½ in squares, from linen. ■ Ten ( 10) hexagons from scrap fabrics, cut at least ¼ in larger than Hexagon Paper template on all sides. ■ One ( 1) 4in length of Velcro tape. 2 For the base and hanging tab cut: ■ One ( 1) 7in x 19in, from lining. ■ One ( 1) 7in x 19in, from batting. 3 For the thread basket cut: ■ One ( 1) 22in x 10in, from interfacing. ■ One ( 1) 22in x 10in, from linen. ■ One ( 1) 22in x 13in, from lining. ■ One ( 1) 22in x 4in, from trim fabric. ■ Twenty- five ( 25) triangles from scrap fabrics, cut at least ¼ in larger than Triangle Paper template on all sides.
MAKING UP THE PINCUSHION
4 Centre and pin a hexagon paper template to the wrong side of each of the hexagon fabric scraps. Baste the fabric in place ( Fig a). Repeat until you have basted all ten hexagons ( Fig b). 5 Place two basted hexagons RST. Sew these together along the edge using a small whip stitch ( Fig c). Make two rows of three, and one row of four. Whip stitch the rows together, with the row of four in the centre. Press and then remove the paper templates. 6 Centre the hexies onto one of the 6 ½ in linen squares and pin in place ( Fig 1). Topstitch all around the edge to secure. 7 Centre and pin the soft side of the 4in strip of Velcro to the remaining 6 ½ in linen square, topstitch around the edge to secure ( Fig 2). 8 Pin the linen squares RST and sew ¼ in all around the edge leaving a 2in– 3in turning gap on one side. Turn right side out, push out the corners with something tapered and stuff with your choice of filling. Ladder stitch the opening closed by hand with a matching thread.
MAKING UP THE BASE AND HANGING TAB
9 Fold the 7in x 19in piece of fabric in half horizontally and crease to mark the halfway point. Open up, place the fabric on top of the batting and measure 3in from this centre point. Pin the hook side of the Velcro in place and topstitch to secure ( Fig 3). 10 Fold in half horizontally RST. Stitch the sides with a ¼ in seam allowance, leaving the end open. Turn right way out and slide in the tile ( Fig 4). It should be a snug fit. Stitch as close to the tile as possible to secure it inside ( Fig 5). Finish by zigzag stitching the raw edges together.
Use a zipper foot when sewing alongside the tile to get a nice snug seam and secure fit.
MAKING UP THE THREAD Basket
11 Baste the fabric scraps around the Triangle Paper templates in the same way you did for the hexagons. Leave the ‘ ears’ sticking out at each corner of the triangle. Whip stitch the triangles together into a long row. Press well, remove the papers and trim any ears sticking out at the side of the strip. 12 Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the 22in x 10in linen piece with your iron. Centre and pin the English paper piecing strip to the right side of the stabilised linen. Topstitch the strip in place and trim the overhang at the sides ( Fig 6). 13 Fold the 22in x 4in trim fabric piece in half lengthways, wrong sides together. Layer the lining piece right side up and the outside piece right side down, sandwiching the trim in the middle and aligning the long raw edges of each piece. Pin together and then sew along the top edge with a ¼ in seam ( Fig 7). 14 Open up the lining and press away from the trim and outside piece. Fold in half RST, aligning all seams and pin together. Sew around three sides leaving a 3in gap in the short edge of the lining ( Fig 8). 15 In each of the four corners, cut a rectangle 3in tall by 2 ¾ in wide ( Fig 9). Pull apart and open up the inner corners, flattening the bag in the opposite direction to the side seams and matching the outer corners and seams together, as indicated by arrows ( Fig 10). Pin in place and stitch along the edge with a ¼ in seam. This will create the right angles at the base of the basket. Repeat in all four corners. 16 Press the base and back seams open ( Fig 11). Turn right way out through the hole in the lining. Push the lining into place, matching up all the corners. The lining will extend over the top of the basket, so fold this over the top edge to form the cuff ( Fig 12). Hand stitch the lining hole closed with a matching thread. 17 Attaching the basket to the base is the fiddly bit! Put your tile inside the basket, with the Velcro side facing the back of the basket ( the side with the seam). Align the raw edge of the hanging tab with the top edge of the inside back of the basket. Stitch a ¼ in seam along the top to secure the hanging tab to the back of the basket. Flip your tile up out of the basket and press away from the basket. 18 Give everything a final press and place the base on the end of the worktop, letting the basket hang over the side. Attach the pincushion to the Velcro base and you’re ready to go!