Monday, August 01, 2016

the pincushion challenge finale

It's August 1st! That means my one-a-day pincushion challenge is over. I'm happy to say that I have accomplished my goal...I made at least one pincushion per day for the entire month of July! It was an extremely fun challenge that was a great exercise in creativity (and perseverance). I may re-visit this idea again, but for now, I need a bit of a break from pincushion making. Can you imagine??? :)
 
Let's look at the last few:
 
Day 29...
I made this one with the leftovers from day 9. I love this version even better than the first one! It's scrap project # 176.

Day 30....
This pincushion was inspired by the cross cut quilt along that Debbie was hosting on Instagram. I love the colors and the simple design. It is scrap project # 177.

And for the final day of the challenge....day 31....
....an itty bitty sewing machine! This one took some time, figuring and stitch ripping, but it was all worth it! (I quilted the spool 3 different times. Gah!) This one is going in my permanent collection! It's scrap project # 178!

All together now...the 36 pincushions (!!!) that I made in July. It was a LOT of fun! Ridiculous, but fun!
Thanks again to all of you who cheered me on and encouraged me along the way. It means so much! THANK YOU!!!
Today, I am happy to announce that I am releasing a new pattern: Plenty of Pincushions, Volume 1. It's a single pattern that includes instructions for the 5 pincushions shown: Flying Geese, Friendship, Diamond, Pineapple and Sailboats. Two of the designs (flying geese and pineapple) are paper pieced. Those two are written with the assumption that you already have basic paper piecing skills. If you need to brush up on your paper piecing skills, there are many, many video tutorials out there on the internet. I know I need to re-learn paper piecing almost every time I attempt it. :)

To answer a few often asked questions:

Q: What do you fill your pincushions with?

A: Crushed walnut shells. They are available at larger pet stores and they are sold as lizard litter. You can also use play sand, crushed glass or emery in place of the walnut shells. If none of those are available, polyester fiberfill also works.

Q: What are you going to do with all your pincushions?

A: A few of them will go in my permanent collection. The others, I have plans to give them away!

Well, there you have it. :) Happy Monday to you!

44 comments:

Theresa said...

Well done Amanda Jean - such a fun journey to be taken on!

Darlene said...

Love seeing them all together. Great job.

Jenny said...

Congratulations - we knew you could do it, Amanda Jean!!!
And I have loved seeing each and every one.

Paige said...

What a month of pincushions! I loved seeing them all! I think the itty bitty sewing machine is my favorite! They are all adorable!

Havplenty said...

What a show of wonderful pincushions. I love making them also and have made plenty for my online swap partners. You have provided me with plenty of inspiration for future swap pincushions. Due to my own allergies, I stuff my pincushions with fiberfill and white rice. The rice provides a nice weighted base.

tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Anonymous said...

I love your pincushions! They are all so cute!

Rike Busch said...

What a cute and amazing challange! The results are soooo pretty and also useful. Have fun with them! ;)
Greetings from Germany, Rike

Susan said...

What a wonderful achievement Amanda! All those pin cushions look like one big happy family tucked together in their little groups! Maybe we need a name for a group of pin cushions? That would be a fun challenge too!

Татьяна said...

Спасибо.Замечательные игольнички.

Anonymous said...

well done!
each and every one is a mini work of art and I've enjoyed seeing you make them all.

KaHolly said...

It's been a terrific ride! Your talents and skills were certainly put to the test, and look at all of those adorable pincushions! In a week, you'll be able to attend a Pincushions Anonymous meeting and say, "Hello, my name is Amanda Jean, and I haven't made a pin cushion in 7 days." Well done! Love the selection you chose for your pattern bundle! XO

Amy said...

It was so much fun to see your pincushions parade through your blog this July. Thanks for sharing!

farmhousequilter8 said...

I loved following along waiting to see each pincushion. I just love your blog and all of your ideas. I love the sewing machine one. Will you be offering that pattern? Paula in KY

Liz Horgan said...

They are all wonderful! We're having a pincushion exchange for our September guild meeting and you've given me so many ideas. Are you doing another pattern grouping?

Suzanne said...

I love that you have a permanent collection of pincushions. Congratulations on your new pattern release. I am excited that it's volume one, implying that more will be coming. As for the pincushion production, you are fortunate to have built a community to share your pincushions with both physically and virtually. I love them!

ann said...

These are fantastic! So much fun to follow your work.

Emily said...

I love all these little pincushions! I can't wait to make a few myself. :)

Four dogs and one quilter said...

Have so enjoyed your month of pincushions. They are so cute all together; like a litter of puppies. Makes me smile.

Needled Mom said...

Those are fabulous. I think I need to make some for myself as they look so pretty together like that. The trouble you had with the sewing machine was worth it in the end.

Jan @Cocoa Quilts said...

These are all too cute. I've been watching them and can't pick out one favorite. So I narrowed down my favorites to the HST one.

Great job!

Lisa C said...

You've inspired me to think of what I could make every day for a month. I don't have many friends who sew so pincushions, while cute, aren't really practical. I think I'll make potholders. They make great gifts. Thanks for the inspiration.

Granny Maud's Girl said...

Wow. This looks like a fun project. Crazy, but fun. I am almost tempted to try it myself when I have a quiet month.

SusanQuilter said...

They are all so darn cute, it would be hard to choose--definitely understand why you have a collection! Especially love the long skinny ones, they are so fun. Thanks for sharing & will go look at the pattern.

Jo West said...

Awesome, you are amazing with all your teeny tiny pieces! Your designs are so much fun. Love them all.

mumbird3 said...

Very cute!! You are inspiring me!!!

Karen said...

Whew! You've earned a big tall glass of something cold (your call) and a day with your feet up. I love all your pincushions, but I'm especially taken with the linen ones. Thanks so much for such a fun July!

Carol said...

They're all absolutely great!! I think my favorite is the long narrow one, multi-colored, with a herringbone design. . .
You are so creative!!!

Di~ said...

So very fun! What a gal you are and I've said it before an Inspiration. It was sweet to have a little bit of goodness from you every day in July! I'll miss ya! :) For fun it would be exciting to see a photo of all those cuties' backs! I bet we'd see a lot of Good Neighbors.

The Calico Cat said...

Seeing a bowl full of pin replacers (aka wonder clips) made me giggle over the irony of this post being all about pin cushions - not wonder clip holders.

mumbird3 said...

Very cute!!!

Mary Marcotte said...

Isn't it wonderful to know that you made it all the way to the very end? You deserve to be proud. They are so fun, and piled up together, they look great! I've been following along all month and even made a few pincushions. So thanks for the inspiration!

claudia said...

I have had so much fun following along in your Pincushion a Day project! It was great to see what you would come up with. All the pincushions are so pretty and your work is so precise! Thank you for sharing what you do!

Mary W Quilts said...

Sew much fun! Love them all ❣

✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾ said...

Way to go, Amanda Jean! I've never tried lizard litter and have been happy with a high quality polyfil but I might give it a try!

Unknown said...

Good job on the pincushions! I'm hand-quilting still, but do all of my piecing by machine now. Maybe someday I'll be good enough to try one of those! I have a machine quilting question that I need to ask you. How can I get in touch?

Becky said...

Awesome accomplishment! A few years back I made about a dozen pin cushions to give away at a sew-in. I thought I would die before I finished, so I can't imagine making 36 in a month! LOL

arabesque scissors said...

What an achievement! I love love them all !! Ali x

Susan Holman said...

You had a fabulous month of pincushions. Now for the next upcoming challenge.....pillows!! You know you love them, we love to see them, and you can call it Christmas is Coming!! Love, love your work!!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

So so many cute little pin cushions. That tiny sewing machine is just amazing. Enjoy your well deserved month off.

Joy said...

Several of these designs have inspired me. You are Mrs. Stick-With-It. I would have given up after 7 at most.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love your pin cushions! Very modern and cute!

mangozz said...

Have really enjoyed your month of pincushions - very inspiring.

Anonymous said...

Such cute pincushions! Now I want a new one, even though I don't use the old one that much. :D

gmp said...
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