Tea Cup Pin Cushion

I love teacups! Especially old teacups and saucers, which I have been collecting for a few years now.

Lovely old teacups

There is nothing better than tea in a bone china cup!

Anyhoo, there I was making myself a cuppa when I noticed hiding in the back of the drawer a lone cup. No saucer. Just this poor little cup that had managed to lose its partner during our latest shift. Now we all know that it is fine to have tea or coffee in a mug or cup and saucer, but it is not politically correct to have said beverage in just a cup. It just doesn't work! Its all in the balance you see?

So no one had used this little cup in the 12 months that we have been in our house, so the time had come to shift it to the 'useful' pile in my studio. Maybe to become part of a mosaic - or something.....

But then, there I was perusing Pinterest when I came across tea cup pin cushions. What a good idea I did think to myself! 

Tea cup pin cushion

Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pics as I was going. But it really is a simple affair.

I have used some felt that I had already created, but you can use any fabric that you have floating around.

I cut out a circle of the felt about 2 inches larger in diameter that the opening of the cup.

Rolled up a wad of wool fleece that I had left over from separating Leicester wool locks for my store. This stuff is really good because it still has some lanolin left over from the cleaning process and it helps protect the pins.

You can use quilting or cushion filler though quite happily! You will need to add a little cover of some batting or felt though to get a smoother surface.

I then made a tacking stitch around the circumference of the outer layer and pulled it in a little to gather around the wad of filling.

This was tightened to make a ball and then the edges were stitched together to hold it in place.

A layer of glue ( I used mosaic glue, as normal craft glue didn't want to hold the fabric in place - but you could try hot glue?) was placed about an inch down the inside of the cup and the fabric ball sat in place.

I then put a book on top of it to hold it in place overnight.

And there you have it. I am now going op shopping to see if I can find a matching saucer. Something in gold I am thinking? Maybe a pink floral? What about spots!

Anemone Wool Felted Painting

My Mum passed away last year and one of the gifts I inherited from her was a love of flowers. She would grow them, embroider them, paint them on porcelain. I think that after my Dad, flowers were her great passion.

Roses were first on the list, closely followed by Renuculi and Anemones. In all colours! The garden was always full to the brim and Dad made sure that new ones were planted each year to add to the bounty.

Red Anemone

As I was browsing through a few of my photos I came across one image taken from Dads garden and thought this would make a nice wool felt and embroidered painting.
So gathering up my supplies it was time to play.

Wool Felt Floral Painting

Using different micron Merino wool roving which I had dyed myself. Some wool nepps and slivers of art yarn for texture.

Wool Felted Flower

Needle felting followed the wet felting to add a few details and then it was off to the machine for machine embroidery followed by lots of hand embroidery embellishments.

Machine and hand embroidery detail.

I think I may pop this one in a little box frame. :-)

Wet felted and embroidered Anemone by Julie Smith of  Sesenarts and Crafts