Pincushion challenge

This month the Pincushion challenge is to used recycled materials in the creation of a pincushion. This challenge actually laste two months, and I forgot about it a few times, and then would remember and spend a while thinking about what to make. In the end, I just went into my kitchen to find something that I was going to throw out, and instead turn it into a pincushion.

My eyes were immediately drawn to these

I use the plastic (theoretically disposable) cups from the gelato place near my house as a nursery for baby spider plants. They grow happily on my kitchen windowsill. Since I am an urban apartment dweller I don’t own a yard, and therefore don’t own any dirt, so that is usually the limiting factor in fixing up a new home for the plants… So i had a few empty cups on the window sill, one to be sacrificed for a pin cushion.

I really like the look of the the flowery-shaped container as a pot for a plant, so i though I would try to keep the same look for the pincushion. I put a few stones in the bottom, like you would for drainage in a pot (plus this gives the whole thing a little bit of weight which is nice). i thought this might also be a way to take advantage of the transparency of the container.

i almost wanted to stop there… those stones are freaking cute. But instead i gathered some batting scraps left over from the lining of my whiplash jacket and cut a circle out of some brownish-colored scrap fabric i had lying around.

I stuffed the circle with the fiber to make a little round pillow and glued it in the cup with the stones. ta-da!

If i had to so it over again, i would likely choose a more colorful fabric. I was trying to get something that looked like dirt, but i think making it more like the center of a flower would look better. I might try to find some small green plant-like thing that I was going to throw out to add as a finishing touch.