Cupcake in a Teacup Pincushion (recycled/upcycled/repurposed!)

This instructable provides directions to use recycled wool felt with a neat vintage container (soup bowl or teacup) to create a nice weighty pincushion. Just in time for mother's day, a tutorial that uses recycled, upcycled, and repurposed materials!

I made the teacup pincushion below for a swap, and it was so fun and cute I decided to write a short tutorial on how to make it. It would be a great gift for mother's day, or a for a friend with a cute sewing basket as well! (I made the pincushion in the custard cup for myself.)

You can see more tutorials and crafty things on my blog http://antelucandaisy.blogspot.com

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Step 1: Materials

First you need to get your materials together.

* Wool Felt- I used some wool blend sweaters I bought at a yard sale. Washed with hot water and rinsed with cold water and then a high agitation or "Heavy Stain" cycle they form a great felt.

*Glue- I purchased Aleene's Tacky Glue

*Container- Teacups, soup cups, custard bowls, etc. They are easier to work with if the sides are reasonably parallel. The Custarc Cup shown below was purchased at the thrift store and was adorable!

*Acrylic Ruler and Rotary Cutter

mypinkrainbow says: Sep 16, 2011. 8:50 AM

i love this pin cushion it is so darling and whimsical

mypinkrainbow says: Jan 15, 2011. 5:37 AM

love it thanks so much for sharing this i now have something to do with a bunch of old tea cups , brilliant idea

the7gerbers says: Dec 18, 2009. 12:35 PM

Could polarfleece be used with good results? Of course, the felting step would be skipped, but it does come in many pretty colors and it wouldn't take much. Just wondering. I'm planning on trying this instructable for some last minute gifts.Very nice!

QTPi says: Jun 4, 2009. 11:28 AM

Any ideas on different material. I am allergic to wool.

phreec in reply to QTPiJun 20, 2009. 8:06 AM

acrylic fleece works just fine; just omit the felting step (see step 1, *wool felt)! and obviously, craft felt works just fine, too (no felting needed, lol!), but color choices are sometimes limited; though you could just color white felt to suit your preference! i found the THIN fleece works best, and for both felt and fleece, i found it looked a little neater if i made wider strips and folded them, using the fold side for the top of the pincushion. good luck!! i'd love to hear how it came out!

lahondaknitter says: May 3, 2009. 8:26 AM

This is really cute! But I have found to get the best results for felting, you really need 100% wool. The higher percentage of acrylic, the less likely it will felt.

antelucandaisy (author) in reply to lahondaknitterMay 4, 2009. 1:33 PM

You're right about the acrylic, it doesn't felt well. Though any natural animal fiber will felt- cashmere, angora, etc.

paulstephen4 says: May 4, 2009. 5:49 AM

Nice art work, Its Simply Awesome, I Like the colour combination.

kyannik says: May 1, 2009. 9:13 PM

This looks so cute! I'm definitely going to make one for my mom for mother's day.

goeon says: Apr 24, 2009. 6:58 PM

I clicked on it cuz i thought they were real

goeon in reply to goeonApr 24, 2009. 6:58 PM

tarzioo says: Apr 22, 2009. 10:41 PM

this is a great idea! My little tomato pin cushion always seems to runaway. I think with this one, I would'nt have that problem!

windowless says: Apr 21, 2009. 10:38 AM

So cute! You should check out Betz White's site. She's made a book about these! Adorable.

antelucandaisy (author) in reply to windowlessApr 21, 2009. 11:12 AM

I've seen these and LOVE them... but I wanted something with a bit more weight. I really like a substantial pincushion that's not going to go anywhere!