From actual sewing to our US map and embroidery projects. I have a lot of sharp, pointy, "hard to see on the floor" things lying around. I had been using a wrapped up section of the towel from one of my projects as a pincushion, but it was time to upgrade.
Luckily, through a basic "cactus pincushion" Pinterest search (I decided ironic was the way to go), I found this incredibly adorable Cactus Pincushion on A Beautiful Mess and got to work!
Quick details:
Pearl hours: 2-3 hours
Start to Finish: 2 days
Difficulty: Easy! (If you have the right tools)
Project thoughts:
This project was EASY! It did involve going out and getting a lot of stuff that I didn't have just lying around, but that was part of the fun. I haven't bought bright fun colored felt in years! I will say that this project doesn't mention a sewing machine... but I'd be amazed to see anyone do the tight, even, perfectly straight stitches on the tall cactus by hand. I may have been able to at least stitch it up so no stuffing would come out, but it would have taken me twice as long and wouldn't have looked as good. I also varied things up a bit. I've been taking a wheel throwing ceramics class recently so I have a lot of random sized pots laying around. I used one of those for a fun colored, wider base that let me put the two cactuses together in one pot, with extra room to decorate and add my own twist!
Pearl Tips:
- Use a chopstick to get the stuffing in tight areas, it helps a ton and will ensure your stuffing is evenly distributed.
- If your foam is just slightly too big after you cut it, don't risk cutting it again. Roll the edges while putting some pressure on it to "squish" the sides down. This is also useful if you want to add texture to the "dirt." Just squish in your fingers at varying levels and you get an uneven texture.
- If you run your needle lightly over the felt you create a fuzzy/less even texture. This was great for the sand/dirt and the small cactus
Lessons learned:
- Use a sewing machine for the tall cactus
- Six embroidery floss strands are too many to try to sew through felt. Three was perfect.
- Pen marks stay on felt, until they smear all over you and the table. Stick to a pencil for tracing.
How I'd do it differently next time:
- Make the tall cactus taller. I was hesitant, but I should have just jumped right in!
- Nothing other than that! This project was fun and easy and came out so cute! I'm already in planning stages to make more as gifts!