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MeiJo’s JOY: Cactus Pincushion – tutorial

cactus pincushion by PC Lim

cactus pincushion by PC Lim

This little cactus pincushion was a handmade present from PC of MeiJo’s Joy, when she and I met up in Penang a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t just being nice when I squealed and gushed over this tiny potted cactus…it really took hold of my tender ‘cuteness’ gland and gave it a hard squeeze.

Ms. Lim at Air Hitam Saturday markets

If PC wasn’t my sister-in-mischief, I would be tempted to do a tutorial for these cacti, myself!

Luckily, PC has put together her own tutorial (see the link, below) for making this (and a whole family of others, different shapes and everything!) that couldn’t be simpler to understand.

I love that she has used recycled materials instead of new store-bought stuff: a streaky green T-shirt has been the perfect fabric for all the cacti, and tiny plastic disposable pudding cups were used for the pots. Don’t forget to check out her additional tutorials, to make the puffy flowers that she uses to make both the bright pink flowers and the bases for some of the cacti plants.

This photo of the whole family together really fires my imagination…I’m starting to see all sorts of variations on this theme…a perfect little project for a rainy afternoon, as they are really simple to make.

MeiJo’s JOY: Cactus Pincushion – tutorial.

a whole family of potted cacti

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embroidery and textiles

sewing : : The Mother of Action

Sometimes, Aggravation can be the mother of Action…though usually it’s just the Grandmother of Binge Eating (Note: Why, yes, I have appropriated Terry Pratchett‘s marvelous one-liner to suit my needs.)

tangled mess of embroidery threadsI was so frustrated last night, trying to work on an embroidery; the solar-powered lamp, the nasty weather, rough seas and heaving boat…crafting conditions that would have given more orthodox embroiderers a nose bleed…and I could not find any of the needles I wanted to use, because all my needles (as well as a spilled box of dressmaker’s pins) were lying loose at the bottom of my sewing basket, under great handfuls of snarled, tangled embroidery thread.

WHY? Because I’m a disorganized nincompoop, that’s why!

 

A pincushion (sewing), with pins. The small

Image via Wikipedia

I was so angry at myself for not having some sort of system…nothing anal retentive, just a little bit of method to the madness?

I’ve been embroidering since I was a seven-year-old in pigtails; can you believe I have never owned a single blesséd pincushion? Or a decent thimble, for that matter?

It seems rather sacrilegious, or disgraceful, at any rate.

Quilted and embroidered cover

I actually started work on a needle book last year…I had already embroidered and quilted the cover, and had only to sew the felt pages into the book, when a good friend in need of a journal came along, and I was moved to bind the aforementioned quilted covers into a lovely writing journal, instead. I didn’t mind, but then I just forgot all plans of organising my needles….until last night, that is, when I spat the dummy for good.

This morning I got up with pincushions on the brain. Nothing embroidered or fancy-shmancy…in a fierce mood, I grabbed two pieces of felt, cut the pattern pieces out, and I made a Spool Bird pincushion. The spool bird pattern is here.

Time it took to hand sew (using backstitch) and stuff my new pincushion? An hour flat.

The satisfaction of having all my needles stuck into one pincushion, where I can keep an eye on the little buggers? Timeless.

“Oh, craft, where is thy sting?” Bring it on, says my pincushion. *insert roar here*

The new pincushion, Panthera avis, rocking his roost.

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