How to make Finger Pincushions

I love my finger pincushions. They’re dainty and indispensable.

Machine or Hand

These are great for machine piecers (left), and hand piecing snobs (right).

 

They even work for lefties!

I wear a finger pincushion when I am machine piecing, when I am hand piecing, and sometimes when I am not sewing at all. (Ooops!)

If you forget to take one off when you leave the house, Monkey says you should try to wear one that matches your outfit.

They are fun to make, so there’s no excuse not having one to match.

There are written instructions in a few Inklingo Shape Collections, but they are so simple you can probably just watch the movie (70 seconds).

 

Inklingo How to Make a Finger Pincushion

1 minute how-to

What I used:

  • scraps of cotton fabric
  • Inklingo Circles – printed 1.5 inch circles on fabric  (named with the finished size)
  • rotary cutter and mat (Use scissors if you prefer.)
  • quilting thread for a running stitch to gather the circles
  • finger-sized spool of thread
  • scraps of batting (Silk is v v nice.)
  • 1/8 inch elastic
  • tweezers to coax the elastic through little holes
  • a bit of patience (see above)
  • big buttons
  • glue gun and hot glue

Russ listened to the William Tell Overture over and over again. (Licensed from Unique Tracks) It’s okay because he laughed when he saw the final result.

We have written about circles before, here.

You could WIN

Leave a comment before Tuesday March 6 to be in a drawing for one of my pincushions, okay? If you don’t win, you can make lots of finger pincushions for yourself and for friends anyway.

This was not on the official To Do list, but it was a nice break. Can you tell I was having fun?

We’ll be back soon with more about the winners in the EQ/Inklingo Love the Lines Contest too. Thanks for visiting.

Linda & Monkey

New to Inklingo? Order and download free shapes and start sewing in the next few minutes. Quick Start (Always FREE.) There are triangles, diamonds, and squares in the free collection—great for dozens of different blocks.

Inklingo for Beginners

Inklingo Quiz – Just for Fun!

291 thoughts on “How to make Finger Pincushions”

  1. You do this during your BREAK? ? ? How lucky are we to have you show us the ropes! 🙂 The least we can do to thank you is make one for YOU!

    Thanks for the giggles and all the work it took to put this together. Making one of these is a snap in comparison!

    Reply
  2. What a cute and useful pincushion. I like it when people show you how to make their product. Makes me want to try it out too. thanks for the cute video and chance to win.

    Reply
  3. Lovely pincushion!! I’m going to make one for me – ond maybe a few other folks. But, I’d love to win one made by you!!

    Reply
  4. Thank heavens I’d not just taken sip of coffee!!! I couldn’t stop laughing! Love the shot of Monkey wearing many pincushions! I think yours are the best finger pincushions I’ve seen — the buttons are so much nicer than the bottle caps! Love ’em!
    Thanks for making me laugh!

    Reply
  5. Hello, Linda;
    I just spent yesterday looking for a tutorial for finger pincushions! I did not want to use a bottle cap for the base. I saw yours on your last video and thought, I need one of those. Here you are with Monkey making it simple, again. Never thought of using a button.
    Hugs to you and Monkey!
    Emily
    Who is left handed and is fast becoming a hand piecing snob!

    Reply
  6. Hi Sweetie,

    I laughed the whole way thru the video. You have turned a rainy S FL
    day happy.

    Hugs,

    Frummie

    I want one too! LOL

    Reply
  7. Great video, Linda. I feel your pain with editing, ads and jumping through ridiculous hoops. I love your finger pin cushions! I could never wear the ones using bottle caps. The buttons will be much more comfy for arthritic hands.

    Reply
  8. Brilliant! I have a 5 gallon glass bottle FULL of old buttons – plenty of fodder for making these pincushions. Thanks for the great tute!

    Reply
  9. Loved the finger pin cushion video! I am just learning how to make my first tutorial video. The pincushions would be a great addition to any guild retreat goody bag! The music sounds great.

    Reply
  10. I loved the video and you choice of music was perfect!
    As usual, you and Monkey have outdone yourselves again.
    Love you both!

    Reply
  11. Ooh, I’m going to have to go digging for big buttons next time I’m at the wool lady- she has a washtub full and I can never find marching ones. Now I’ll dig for big ones.

    Reply
  12. It is nice to breakaway from the official to do list on occasion, especially when it gives you a sense of satisfaction of completing something in the midst of a complicated project. Thank you for the tutorial. Now to head to my button jars.
    Charlsey

    Reply
  13. Love the tiny finger cushions. I use one too that I made with a plastic diet coke bottle cap but now I want to make a one using a button. The video was great and love monkey!

    Reply
  14. This looks like a perfect quilting bee gift for our retreat. I’ll be making about 20 of them before next week! Thanks for the great tutorial and thanks to Monkey for the great Vanna White moments.

    Reply
  15. Love the tutorial, Linda. Been coveting those little finger pinchusions since I first saw yours. Often thought of the steps and supplies needed to make one – now I know for sure. Thanks for sharing in such a clever video, love Monkey!
    Warm Hugs,
    Marsha in DE, USA

    Reply
  16. It was wonderful to hear the William Tell Overture this early in the morning. It was perfect background music. The movie was great, and definitely has encouraged me to make a finger pincushion. You and Monkey work well together….however, if I may ask, does Monkey ever give you a list of “Backstage Demands”…..candy, sodas….ripe bananas???? Hopefully, he is not a temperamental actor. Grin

    Reply
  17. Hi Linda and monkey
    yes this is such a nice tutorial …and cute pincushion to make as gifts
    Maybe I ‘ll make some for the Tuesday belgian meeting 😉
    Hugs from rainy Brussels

    Reply
  18. Wonderful tutorial, Linda. I am going in the hospital again with my daughter and plan to take INKLINGO handwork with me to keep my mind and my hands occupied. I will have to make one of these before I go (hopefully) because it will be perfect to have one less thing to have to hold on to while I am working. Of course, in the event I can’t find my hot glue gun and run out of time to make one, I would love to be one of the lucky winners 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to share. Cathy in TN

    Reply
  19. These are the cutest little finger pin cushions I’ve seen! Thanks for the tutorial, going to have to try that now.

    Reply
  20. I’m glad you like it!
    There will be one winner for every 25 comments, so please send the link to your friends.
    Monkey says even if you don’t win a pincushion, one of your friends might see the movie and make you one.

    Reply
  21. Hi Linda & Monkey:
    Nice video, music and it looks so easy to do. Thanks for the info.
    I couldn’t live without mine and they have been given to me. Now I can make some of my own.
    Mary Anne

    Reply
  22. Linda, love the william Tell overture and the buttons Much easier than poking holes in small bottle tops! I will have to get printing tomorrow.
    Then I can use all the ‘leftover’ circles in a little art deco quilt. At least that’s my excuse, I really have to use them up don’t I.

    Reply

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