Mason Jar Pincushion

For Christmas this year, I made my future daughter-in-law a mason jar pincushion to go with her new sewing machine. The idea originally came from Pinterest, but when I tried to follow those directions, it failed. So I ripped it apart and started fresh with my own way of doing things …

I found a circle die that was about the same size as the lid and cut out two thin chipboard pieces from it. (I actually used the thin piece of chipboard that was in the fat quarter of fabric I bought. You do not want it to be too thick because then the jar will not close properly — that was the problem I had the first time. I also neglected to use the jar lid this time around in order to make it thinner.)

Then I used a circle die that was about 1/4″ larger all the way around than the lid. By using it with the Sizzix Precision Base Plate, I was able to cut out the fabric easily with it. (If you have a Sizzix machine and do not have this plate, you need it!)

Next, I placed one of the chipboard circles in the center of the fabric circle and used Elizabeth Craft Designs’ Transparent Double-Sided Tape to adhere it. (Scor-Tape or Red Line Tape would also work. The initial attempt used a hot-glue gun, but it was messy and thick and lumpy, so I opted for a strong tape the second time around.)

Then, I added strips of tape all along the chipboard circle and folded and pressed the fabric over the tape, leaving a few inches for stuffing. I added a bit of stuffing, and then sealed off that final part.

I added the second circle on top to cover all of the edges and give it a clean, finished look. Since my chipboard was white, I left it plain, but you could paint the circle first, if you liked.

Finally, I filled the jar with ribbons, fibers and lace (but you could fill with buttons, pins, candy or anything you wanted). Then I put the jar’s ring over the little cushion I made, carefully pulling all of the stuffed area through the center of the hole, and then screwed it on top. It was a tight enough fit that I didn’t feel adhesive on the ring was necessary.

I love how it turned out … what do you think?!