Tomato pincushions.

I got this idea from Ms. Martha Stewart (see original link here) and am absolutely in love with how it turned out. I crafted with my sister (we each made one tomato--so far), and not only did we make adorable pincushions, we had a really fun time.


What you need:
-a bit of fabric, in either red, yellow, or green (or in any pattern or color you'd like, really)
-felt or another small piece of fabric for the leaf
-batting
-needle and thread
-scissors


Our soundtrack:
Bat for Lashes-Two Suns


Step 01
After choosing your fabric, cut into a circle. As a template, we used a paint tray with a 7 1/2" diameter.

Step 02
With the pattern face down, sew a running stitch around the border of the fabric. As you sew, carefully gather the fabric so it starts to form a pouch. Then, begin to stuff with batting.

Step 03
After you stitch up the opening of the tomato, cut the green fabric into a six-sided star and sew onto the top. For my leaf, I doubled up some thin green fabric and stitched it together first for some sturdiness. Also, if your tomato feels a bit too round, I suggest sewing a few stitches straight through the top opening to the bottom of the pincushion and back up again.

You can see the finished pincushion at the top of this post. I'd like to make more of these and give them as gifts to crafter friends or maybe sell them at yard sales. It was a great way to spend time on a rainy afternoon!