Party On with Fabric Scraps

This past February, in the middle of the winter that would not end, I hosted an afternoon pincushion party at the studio for about a dozen ladies. Fortified by a mighty fabric scrap bin and a stash of luscious fat quarters, we made two projects:  a Tidy Tote which houses a little pincushion inside, and Raindrop, a tiny good luck doll that is really a drawstring pouch. Okay, so technically only one was a pincushion. There were no complaints!

I found these projects in my resource library, taken from two of a series of three books by Kumiko Sudo: Omiyage, and Kokoro no Te, collections of small handmade fabric gifts in the Japanese tradition. The third book, Wagashi, features mostly Japanese fashion art, so I knew I couldn't get that in under the pincushion umbrella. Directions are easy to follow if you know basic handsewing techniques, no Japanese or French required, and the author provides patterns and templates to copy in the back of the book. 

Like the paper scrap bin books from my earlier post, these little lovelies are a great way to make use of your fabric scraps. You'll also learn several new embellishment techniques that can be used in your fabric journal projects.

This required no sewing machines; everything was done by hand. We spent way more time choosing our fabrics, felt, buttons, beads and cords than we spent actually making the pincushions, because it was just fun to play with all the possibilities before making a choice. It was okay to change your mind even after you had committed! It was all about having a good time and making a little something together, regardless of skill level. There was warm jasmine tea and little cookies and beautiful Gerbera daisies on the table. And a good time was had by all!