Yesterday, I went to Hen Feathers Quilt Shop to take advantage of their First Friday Fenzy sale which they have all their pre-cut fat quarters on sale. I picked out fabric from Riley Blake Designs that coordinated, but would also allow me to make two pin cushions and scrap bags. I also had to make a trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics to get fusible fleece, fabric glue and heavy duty button thread. I was hoping to also find emery sand which is what most pin cushions are filled with because it sharpens the pins and also keeps them from rusting, but I had no luck.
When I got home, I spent some time on Google to see where I could buy emery sand and quickly realized it was not something that a lot of people shop for and was not easily available anywhere in Wichita or online. I did further research and read a few blogs to discover that you can use crushed walnut shells (Walnut Litter for Bird cages) to fill a pin cushion. Philip checked at a pet store close to us and Wal-Mart yesterday and neither had the walnut litter so back to google I went to find that PetSmart carried the walnut littler in stores.
So guess where the closest PetSmart store is... right next to the Jo-Ann Fabrics store! So back up Rock Road I went this morning to get the walnut litter. Unfortunately, the smallest amount I could buy was seven pounds, but even buying way more than I would ever need to fill all the pin cushions I could ever want was still cheaper than ordering the four cups of emery sand online.
The funniest part about this whole trip to the pet store was when the cashier asked me what kind of bird I had. I paused, not quite knowing how to respond and said, "Well actually I don't have a bird." She gave me a puzzled look so I went on, "I am making a sewing pin cushion and they recommend using this to fill it." She replied, "Oh, well, I guess that would work." I think I caught her a bit off guard and she was just trying to have good customer service.
So with all the necessary supplies...
I spent the afternoon and early evening conquering this project!
The Flower Pin Cushions are my favorite part! Making these required the most time but I probably learned the most while putting these together. I took some "creative liberties" on the buttons, but I can't reveal my secret!
The addition of the scrap bag really does bring the whole project together! I haven't decided which one I want to keep for myself and which one to give to mom! The fabrics on both are so cute!
I also tried out this really simple burp rag pattern and am excited to have these as another option for baby gifts for friends and family!
No comments:
Post a Comment