Canning jar pincushion

Christmas can complicate blog posting... when I'm making something intended for a gift. I get anxious to share... but have to be patient until after the gift-giving is done.

There are a lot of very good tutorials on the web for turning a basic canning jar into a handy pincushion, so I won't do a step-by-step tutorial here. Instead, these are the changes I made when putting my own stamp on the final design.

I used quilting cotton fabric, because I have a lot of scraps to choose from. I think using sturdy but reasonably thin fabric is best. If you build up too much thickness between lid and jar, you may have problems getting it to engage the threads when screwing it on the jar.

I had a small piece of this sewing-themed fabric tucked away in my scrap bins. I thought it was the perfect choice for my first attempt. Cut the fabric about 1-1/2-in. larger than the jar ring.

Baste the edge using large but evenly spaced stitches. This is important: if you plan to leave any of the gathered fabric visible, even stitches will create gathers that are about the same size.

Start with a small handful of batting. Pull up gathering thread slightly, put batting inside, then insert the lid with porcelain side out. Pull gathering thread tighter, and see if there's enough stuffing. Play with this; you want the fabric to be tight and the stuffing even.

When you're happy with the amount of batting, pull up the gathering thread, and stitch completely around the opening again. This will even out the gathers, and make it possible to get it snugged up tightly. Knot the thread. Hint:  don't try to pull tight against just one row of gathering threads; you may break the thread and be back to square one.

I wanted the underside of the lid to look cute, so I cut a circle of felt slightly smaller than the lid (mine ended up a bit too small). With the small quilted jars I used, the bottom of the jar was the perfect size for a template. Just make sure to trim the felt so it won't be on top of the glass rim.

Mark the center of the felt, then sew a cute button in the center.

Run a bead of glue around the inside of the rim, then push the cushion through the ring. Do this before you glue the felt circle in place: you'll need to hold the felt to the fabric until it starts to set, and the ring gives you a good holding place for your fingers, while you use your thumbs to push against the felt.

The last step is to glue the felt circle in place, then screw the lid onto jar. This will hold everything in place while the glue dries.

That's it... you're done.  Put a few pins into the top, fill the jar with pins, and make another one. And another. And...