Cupcake Pin Cushion Experiment

I love hanging out with the Austin Modern Quilt Guild. We did a gift exchange at our December meeting where you had to give a handmade gift costing less than $10. Alternatively, you could have been a chicken and given a $10 gift card for quilting supplies, but I was feeling brave.

I've seen tutorials all over the web for Cupcake Pin Cushions. This one from Nat at NatSprat was the clear leader for me. 

Sweet miracle that is hot glue. I love it so. Don't hesitate to stock up on burn cream if you're clumsy, though. Did I mention I have a large supply of burn cream?

Happily my fingers survived this crafting session blister free! Here's the finished product:

Taadaa! So cute, right? 

I went a little rogue in this crafting session and did a few things differently from Nat.

Good ideas:

1) Flipping the "wrapper" inside-out so the ridges were on the outside. It looked more realistic to me.

2) Making a sand weight for the bottom of the cupcake. A little sand made it feel very sturdy.

Bad ideas:

1) Trying to make the ridge seams smaller than 1/8" of an inch. It would be better to start with a longer piece of felt for the "wrapper"to make sure you can make comfortable seams without worrying about your cupcake being too skinny.

2) Trying to sew through 4 layers of felt when I wanted to fix a ridge. (My apologies to two needles who are no longer with us.)

This was really fun. I'll definitely make another one. I'm going to experiment with making it fatter. 

Get pumped. I'll take pictures and report back.

WIP Wednesday: It's Me!

Say what?

That's right. I'm the WIP.

After five years at my grown-up corporate job, I left yesterday.

It was time. I gave my two weeks notice and gave up my steady paycheck and reliable health benefits.

It's time to get back to arts and crafts.

I know I love to create tangible objects with my hands, but I wasn't getting to do any of that at my desk job. I frequently found myself longing for my first job after college where I worked at a small community art school and led crafty birthday parties and kids' craft camps.

My job title was "The Birthday Queen." I kid you not. It was a perfect fit for my interests, but I made very little money.

Ultimately I relocated to find respectable employment and to find myself nearer to the would-be Mr. Phone.

So prepare yourselves for the onslaught of craftiness folks. I'm going to make a serious go of this, and you're welcome to be part of the fun!