DIY Handmade Daisy Pin Cushion

 Hey there! Today I'm going to share how I made my cute daisy pin cushion. I got the pattern from my mum, and she has had this same pin cushion as long a I can remember! She made an appropriately early 80's cream and maroon colour. I went to visit the other day and she had out all her fabric boxes so I dug through and found some vintage fabrics from the late 70's or early 80's and decided to whip one up myself! You don't need a sewing machine either.

• Some scraps of fabric, any colour you choose, but a main pattern for the 'petals' and a block colour for the centre works well.
• Cardboard hexagon templates - you can buy these at a quilting or craft supplies store, they are called "Precut Paper Shapes". I used a 1" hexagon but you can use any size, it will make your overall pin cushion size smaller or larger, depending on what template size you choose. You could also photocopy a hexagon and cut it out yourself, just make sure it has perfectly even sides!
• Thread in a neutral colour to your fabric. I used a single strand of cream embroidery thread.
• Velvet ribbon to complement your fabric. It needs to be about 1.5cm wide (approx 2/3"), I used a length of 60cm (approx 24"), but this will depend on your hexagon size.
• Needle and Fabric Scissors
• Stuffing/Wadding
• Pins! I bought Fancy Pins, but you can use whatever kind of pins you like. But Fancy Pins are always better for making colourful photos :)

Wash and iron fabric first (I felt like my mum was actually speaking to me as I wrote this instruction! I can sometimes skip steps like this, but trust me, it's worth preparing properly, your final product will be that little bit better)

Make 14 actual size cardboard templates (Or take 14 out of the packet! Much faster)

Cut 2 plain and 12 patterned fabric pieces using 1/4" or 1cm larger template. Cut on grain of fabric.

 Tack fabric onto cardboard templates, folding edges flat. Don't worry about making these stitches perfect, we're going to remove them later on. Just secure the fabric and make sure the corners are folded down and stitched together securely.

After tacking all of the cardboards onto the fabric, you should have 14 pieces ready, like this:

 Over sew 7 hexagons together into a rosette, starting from the centre and working out and around (leave cardboard in). Use little stitches and face the right sides together for the neatest result. I found I could bend the hexagons to be facing each other for most of the stitching until the very last 1 or 2 in the rosette. Repeat for the next 7 hexagons so that you have 2 separate rosettes. Important to note: Make sure the patterns on the fabric are all facing the right way before you stitch them together!

Sew the 1.5 cm wide velvet ribbon around the edge of one rosette and join ribbon ends. Repeat with the other rosette, matching outer edges (leave about 2 sides of a hexagon free). I was a bit blasé about matching the outer edges. I think it's probably a good idea to pay attention at this part so you don't end up with a wonky pin cushion. I had to correct my alignment halfway through adding the ribbon when I realised I'd gone way off track!

 Unpick your tacking and pull out the pieces of cardboard template. You can re-use these if you want.

Turn right side out through the 2 sides of the hexagon left unfinished

Stuff with your choice of filling and finish sewing the final edges.

Sit back and admire your handiwork! 

This is my first DIY so I'd appreciate feedback from you. Too much information? Not enough? I like being pretty thorough with descriptions and pictures, so let me know if I overloaded you with information. Leave any questions in the comments section and I'll be happy to answer them for you. I'd really love to see your versions, so when you make yours, leave me a comment and a link to your picture!

Happy stitching! Kitty xo

PS. I just realised my nail polish matched the Step By Step Banners. That is a TOTAL coincidence!