Union Jack Pin Cushion

Keep your pins close at hand with some Brit kitsch!

Posted by Cat Morley

About

I use to use a store bought plastic wrist pin cushion but it was really uncomfortable to wear, so I decided to make my own with an elastic strap.

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You Will Need (8 things)

  • Scissors
  • Needle & Thread
  • Stuffing
  • Red, blue & white Embroidery Floss
  • Thick black Elastic
  • Embroidery Needle
  • Embroidery Hoop
  • Aida Fabric

Steps (33 steps, 240 minutes)

  1. 1

    Cut a square of aida fabric and secure it in to an embroidery hoop.

  2. 2

    Thread a needle with some red embroidery floss. Most people use 2 strands but I like to use 3. Make a \ stitch and knot the stitch in place at the back.

  3. 3

    Make 4 more \ stitches.

  4. 4

    Stitch back the way with 4 / stitches, making 4 squares.

  5. 5

    Repeat this method and stitch a total of 10 rows.

  6. 6

    Miss out 4 rows and stitch 10 more rows.

  7. 7

    Starting 12 blocks to the left of the cross, stitch 28 blocks wide.

  8. 8

    Repeat this for all the other rows down until you have 4 rows.

  9. 9

    Now stitch the diagonal crosses, these are two blocks wide. Make sure to stop stitching one block before the cross.

  10. 10

    Now thread your needle with blue floss and start stitching in the flag. Stitch up to 1 block away from the diagonal line and the cross.

  11. 11

    On the other side of the diagonal line, stitch 2 blocks away from the line.

  12. 12

    The pattern alternates depending on which area of the flag you're working on, so make sure your stitching matches this design.

  13. 13

    Thread your needle with white floss and stitch in the white lines,

  14. 14

    It should look like this when its all done.

  15. 15

    You can leave the back of your cushion blank but if you want to make it super cute, you could stitch a little heart.

  16. 16

    Make two / stitches, then skip two holes and stitch two more / stitches.

  17. 17

    Make a \ stitch one hole further to the right and then make one more. Miss out two holes and make two more \ stitches.

  18. 18

    Stitch 2 rows of 7 blocks.

  19. 19

    Start the 4th row with a \, stitch5 blocks and end the row with a /.

  20. 20

    Continue this down, decreasing by one block at either side.

  21. 21

    Decrease by another block on either side and your red heart is finished.

  22. 22

    Stitch one white lines around the outside of the red, repeating the same pattern.

  23. 23

    Now stitch a blue heart, 2 blocks wide around the outside of the white.

  24. 24

    Your heart should look like this.

  25. 25

    I made a little border by stitching one red block, missing a block and then stitching a blue block around the outside of the heart.

  26. 26

    Cut out your two sides, leaving a 2 block border.

  27. 27

    Place the two sides, wrong sides facing out and stitch a straight line along the top and bottom.

  28. 28

    Fold right side out and it should look like this.

  29. 29

    Cut a length of thick black elastic to fit your wrist.

  30. 30

    Slip through your flag and stitch the opens end together. Place the stitched area on the inside of the flag. Fold the edges of one of the side under and stitch together, stitching through the elastic.

  31. 31

    Stuff the open end with stuffing, so that the pin cushion is nice and fat.

  32. 32

    Stitch the final end closed and you're all done.

  33. 33

    Slip on your wrist and you're ready to start sewing!