As promised, today I have a tutorial for this SEW pincushion to share! I originally designed this pincushion for a publication back in 2013! It didn't end up getting included in the book, and I've been wanting to share it here ever since. The first pincushion I made has sun damage, so it seemed like a good excuse to make a new one!


The piecing for this pincushion can be a little tricky, since the strips are so narrow, but it still comes together quickly! One advantage of the small pieces is that it's really great for using scraps. For the newer version I added some fusible fleece interfacing and light quilting. It's totally optional, but I think it gives it a nice look and a little extra stability. Anyways, enjoy the tutorial for this fun wordplay pincushion!

SEW Pincushion Tutorial
Have questions about making pincushions? Check out my All About Pincushions post.

Sewing Level: Intermediate
Finished size: 7.5”x3.5”

Materials:
- 1/8 yard of fabric for letters (or scraps)
- 1/8 yard of fabric for background (or scraps)
- (2) 10"x6" pieces of cotton batting or fusible fleece interfacing (optional)
- Pincushion filling (fiberfill or crushed walnut shells)
- Coordinating thread
- Hand sewing needle

Cutting:

From letter fabric, cut:
(8) 1.5”x1” A pieces
(2) 2”x1” B pieces
(3) 3”x1” C pieces

From background fabric, cut:
(6) 1.5”x1” D pieces
(1) 2”x1.5” E piece
(4) 3”x1” F pieces
(2) 8”x1” G pieces*
(1) 4”x8” backing piece*

*You may want to cut these pieces a little extra long (ex: 8.5" instead of 8"). With so many seams and small pieces sometimes the piecework can end up a little larger than expected! Easier to trim it down after the fact than have a piece that's too short.

Instructions:
*1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted*


1. Letter S: Sew together two pairs of A and D pieces, along the long sides. Press seams open. Sew an A piece to the left side of one pieced pair, press seam open. Sew an A piece to the right side of one pieced pair, press seam open. Sew both pieces together according to the diagram, press seam open. Sew a B piece to the bottom to complete the letter S, press seam open.


Letter E: Sew together two pairs of A and D pieces, along the long sides. Press seams open. Sew pieced pairs together, press seam open. Sew an A piece to the bottom of this pieced unit, press seam open. Sew a C piece to the left side to complete the letter E, press seam open.


Letter W: Sew together an A and D piece, along the long sides. Press seam open. Sew a D piece to the end of the pieced pair, so that the A piece is in the middle. Press seam open. Sew piece E to the top of this pieced unit, press seam open. Sew piece B to the bottom, press seam open. Sew a C piece to the left and right sides to complete the letter W, press seams open.


2. Arrange the pieced letters according to the diagram, with an F piece between each letter and on either side. Sew together in order, press seams open. Sew a G piece to the top and bottom of the pieced letters. Press seams open.

3. Optional: Layer pincushion top with batting or interfacing, quilt as desired. Layer pincushion backing with batting or interfacing, quilt as desired. Trim both pieces to 4"x8".

4. Place pincushion top right sides together with the backing piece. Sew around all four sides, leaving a small opening for turning on one of the short ends.

5. Turn right sides out, poking out the corners with a dull pencil. Fill pincushion with desired stuffing and close the opening with a whip or ladder stitch.


I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I have lots of other tutorials for everything from quilts, pillows, bags, and holiday items to informational series and techniques. Find all my tutorials here: Tutorials. My online shop is filled with patterns for quilts and bags. Find my patterns here: Jeni Baker Patterns

Tag me @jenib320 on instagram if you make something from this tutorial, I'd love to see it!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Sewing!

What I've Been Working On

Ever since our move in mid-November, I've been working on the most random projects! The lined drawstring bag sew along started right after we got here, so I haven't really shared what I'm working on since November! So this is going to be a bit of a catch-up post of things I've sewn and crafted since then, starting with some holiday projects.

It should come as no surprise that I love table linens. I have a couple drawers full of thrifted tablecloths, napkins and placemats. My stash is the most lacking in placemats, most of the ones we use are handmade. This year I decided to sacrifice a vintage Christmas tablecloth that was too small and turn it into placemats! I made six placemats and still have plenty leftover!


My daughter has discovered the joys of perler beads. She's a bit young to do them on her own, but she loves telling us what to make her! We started by making a bunch of colorful ornaments but have also made cats, bows, hello kitty and friends, etc. It's been fun to revisit this craft.


I didn't hang up my collection of paper snowflakes this season, but I did make some new tiny ones! These are made with 2.5" squares of paper.


I usually make a few new holiday lined drawstring bags outside of the ones I make for the sew along tutorials. This one used a scrap of postage stamp fabric that my friend Jacey gave me many years ago. I love how it turned out!! I was able to use thrifted fabrics for the accent and lining too, which is nice! This is the everything size from my pattern.


I made my daughter another Christmas quilt! Looking back I don't think I ever shared the one I made her the year before, oops! I'll be sure to share them both in full soon. This one is bigger and just simple patchwork. I even managed to finish it before Christmas!


Speaking of quilts, I bound three that I had quilted by Katie this past fall!


We were long overdue for a new potholder, as our old one was looking a bit rough. I actually ended up repairing the old one too, I'll share more about both of these soon!


Another peek at a project that will show up in full here in the coming weeks, a zipper pouch made with old fabric samples!


The last little tease of an upcoming post. I remade the "SEW" pincushion I made for a publication long ago. I'm writing a tutorial for it!



This month I finally made myself one of these stuffed geese with the Silly Goose pattern by Woolly Petals*. What a hilarious and fun project this was. I love how it turned out, I think it's adorable! I used about half of a vintage pillowcase and the orange print was pulled from my scrap bin. Thankfully I had some safety eyes on hand to finish it off. I will definitely be making more of these!!



I have plans to change out some of the light fixtures in our new house, but I've only just started the process of sourcing new fixtures so I know it will be a while before we actually make the changes. So for now I decided to dress up the light in the dining room a little. I painted it green (it really needs another coat!) and made these little shades for it out of vellum. It had no shades previously, so the light was pretty harsh. These simple pleated shades help diffuse the light and make it a lot more pleasant to have the light on! It took some experimenting to get the shades right, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I think it kind of looks like flowers now! To head off any concerns: the bulbs are LED so they don't get hot and the shades don't touch the bulbs.


Lastly, I started a new junk journal. This one is really simple, it's a "stamp" collection!! I saw someone doing this on instagram (here) and the idea really spoke to me. I already had the punch in my stash, so it was an easy choice! I love real stamps, so it feels like it was meant to be. And it's very low effort, which is what I need right now. It's been fun!

Okay, that's a pretty good recap for now! I hope to be back soon to share a little tour of my sewing space.

Happy Making!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Recent Knitting Projects

I haven't had a ton of time lately for sewing, but I have been doing a lot of knitting so far this year. It's something I can take around the house with me and work on while my daughter plays. I have also been using it to unwind at the end of the night while listening to an audiobook. Last month I was really feeling the stress of the last few months. Michael started his new job (which was been quite stressful) and we're still navigating our new home/life/town. It's been a few years since I've knitted seriously and it felt like the right time to pick it back up. There is something about counting the stitches and the repitition that is very relaxing.

My favorite thing to knit is hats, so that's what I've been making! I'm working on my fourth hat of the year already!! I wanted to document the ones that I've finished so far.



First up, a new Astra hat! This is the Astra Hat by Ambah O'Brien, my very favorite hat pattern to knit. It's really enjoyable and I love how it looks too, win-win! I knit this one for myself.



This is the Scrappy Marl Pattern by Beata Jezek (Hedgehog Fibres), which is free. It was my first time marling, you hold two strands of sock yarn. Loved knitting this one and it was nice to be able to use up some sock yarn! Despite the fact that I am not a sock knitter, I have a lot of sock weight yarn. I am looking forward to more marling in the future! Michael claimed this one.


I used the same yarns in this woven scarf a few years ago!



Finally I made a hat for my daughter. This is the Bells Beanie by Ambah O'Brien. It was my first time knitting with handspun yarn! This one is from Spun Right Round, years ago! A really fun knit, another one I'll knit again!


And now I'm making another Astra hat, this time for my Mom! You can find more of my knitting projects on my Ravelry. Hopefully I'll be back soon to share some sewing projects!

Happy Knitting!

2026 Crafty Goals

Today I wanted to share my 2026 crafty goals! Similar to the last few years, my goal list for this year is short and simple. I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to crafting or my work right now, so I'm trying to keep my goals manageable. I am trying to focus more on consistency this year. Consistently carving out time to do something craft or art related. Staying focused on the types of projects that are making me happy which are projects made with secondhand materials and/or projects made with scraps. Here are my crafty goals for this year:

2026 Crafty Goals

- Continue to prioritize using secondhand or repurposed materials.

- Use up more yardage than I bring in for both fabric and yarn.

- Finish up 1 or 2 long-term projects in progress.

- Release 1 new pattern.

- Make a mini Making Backpack.

- Complete one small scrap project per month.

- Try a new craft! I have supplies to try out marbling, natural dyeing, weaving (with a simple flat loom), bleach dyeing, etc.

- Put my loom back together and weave a new scarf.

- Try to do something crafty (sewing, knitting, painting, drawing, crocheting, etc) most days.

- Have an indigo dyeing day this summer!

If you're looking for some advice for making crafty goals, I wrote a post about my general approach to crafty goals a few years ago, you can find it here: Tips for Making and Keeping Crafty Goals.

Happy Making!