DIY Holiday Ornament Pincushion

These adorable little Christmas ornament pincushions are a great gift for any sewing friend! Gather up a few favorite holiday fabrics and you can whip up a few in no time. Happy Holidays!

Supplies (makes two pincushions)

• Eight 2-1/2″ Moda Candy squares*
• Six 5″ Moda Charm squares*
• One fat quarter white fabric
• 4- 6″ squares of cotton batting
• 2 cups crushed walnut shells or preferred pincushion filling
• White thread
• Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler
• Needle for hand sewing
• Quarter inch foot (BERNINA Patchwork Foot #37/37D)

*Fabric shown is Daysail by Bonnie & Camille for Moda

Step 1) Cut the fabric pieces.

From the white fabric cut the following:

• Cut 4 squares 6″ x 6″
• Cut 8 squares 1-1/4″ x 1-1/4″
• Cut 2 pieces 1-1/4″ x 3-1/2″
• Cut 2 pieces 1-1/4″ x 3/4″
• Cut 4 pieces 1-1/4″ x 1-5/8″
• Cut 4 pieces 1-1/4″ x 5″

From one charm square or mini charm (gray text) cut two pieces 1″ x 1-1/4″ for the ornament tops.

Patchwork Block

Cut each of the eight Moda candy 2-1/2″ charm squares (greens and reds) into four 1-1/4″ pieces. Select two of each print (16 squares total) for the patchwork ornament.

Striped Block

From the charm squares cut the following:

• From one charm square (red/aqua stripe) cut two pieces 3-1/2″ x 1-1/4″
• From one charm square (red dot) cut 1 piece 3-1/2″ x 1-1/4″
• From one charm square (aqua text) cut 1 piece 3.5″ x 1.25″

All 4 strips make up the striped ornament.

Step 2) Assemble the blocks.

Patchwork Block

Sew the sixteen 1-1/4″ squares into four rows of four. Alternating pressing direction with each row, then pin and sew the rows together to make the block center.

Striped Block

Sew the four strips together as shown below to make the block center. Press well.

Both Blocks

Each block is finished the same way. First, draw a diagonal pencil line on each 1-1/4″ white square and sew one on each corner (on the pencil line) to make a snowball block as shown below.

To make the ornament top, take one gray 1″ x 1-1/4″ strip and sew one 3/4″ x 1-1/4″ piece on top of it to make one 1-1/4″ x 1-1/4″ piece. Press seams to the dark side.

Sew one 1-5/8″ x 1-1/4″ piece of of white fabric on each side of it as shown, making it 1-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ Sew this part on the top of each ornament block, RST.

Sew one 1-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ white strip on the bottom of the block. Press. Sew one 1-1/4″ x 5″ white strip on each side of the block. 

Repeat for the second ornament block.

Tip: When piecing tiny things, it is easy to not have things measure perfectly. If you need to adjust the bottom or side measurements a bit to make them fit, that’s fine! Just make sure to measure the finished block and trim the pincushion bottom to be the same size.

Step 3) Assemble the pincushions.

Make a quilt sandwich with the pincushion top, batting, and one 6″ white square.

Quilt however you would like. I outlined the ornament shape and added some shadowing using my quilting foot and dual feed. (It might also be fun to experiment with embellishing the ornaments using decorative stitches! I didn’t think of this until it was too late. 🙂

Make a second quilt sandwich with a charm square (for the bottom of the pincushion), batting and one 6″ white square. I quilted these along the stripes.

Trim each of the quilt sandwiches down to 5” x 5” then place them right sides together. Pin each side once or twice.

Sew along the edges with a 1/4″-wide seam allowance, leaving a 2″ gap in the center of one side. Backstitch at the beginning and end.

Turn the pincushion right side out and use a funnel to fill it. I use crushed walnut shells, but you can use whatever you prefer.

 Hand-stitch the opening closed using a ladder stitch or whipstitch.

Repeat to finish the second pincushion.

Make 87 more for all your quilting friends, family, and anyone else you can think of. They are a little addicting. 🙂

Thanks for joining me for this little tutorial, I hope you enjoyed it! Come see me at my blog camilleroskelley.com anytime.