Tea Cup Pin Cushion.

Who would have guessed that I would have a fondness for pretty tea cups? OK, maybe I am predictable!! I am however running out of places to store them in my kitchen & the size of the collection does not seem to be staying steady. I needed a way to show off some of my favourites & make them functional. I came across a tea cup pin cushion in a vintage store a couple of weeks ago & fell in love. My mother came up for a visit last weekend & brought along with her, a box of vintage tea cups & saucers (squeal with delight!!). As soon as I saw this set............

I knew exactly what I needed to do with it!

So here goes..........

Make sure you have

a tea cup & saucer,

wadding or cotton wool,

a scrap piece of material (30cm x 30cm)

beading or trim

hot glue gun or craft glue

OK to start with, trace a circle on to your fabric. I used a bowl as the template. Make sure the circle is bigger than the saucer that is used for the tea cup.

 Cut out the circle & using a long running stitch, sew around the outside of the circle.

 Pull it gently as you go.

 It will form a "bowl" shape. .

 Fill the material with the wadding or cotton wool.Pull the thread firmly & knot it securely so that the "ball" is tight & very full.

 Place the ball inside the tea cup. Make sure that there is enough above the rim to put plenty of pins in.

 Run a line of hot glue or craft glue along the rim of the tea cup & run a length of beading or trim around to hide the edge of the ball & keep it securely in the tea cup. Glue the tea cup to the saucer & run a length of beading or trim around the bottom of the cup. I used a cheap "pearl" necklace & cut it to length. I wanted to keep with the vintage feel.

 It now sits proudly in my "Paris Quarter" in the lounge room bay window.

I am thinking that I might make a few of these. My chickadees would love one each & they would make great presents for friends, relatives, school teachers, etc.

Whatever you are up to, I hope you enjoy your day!