My Frugal Family: The Ugly Little Green Monster Pin Cushion

Last night, I was at my sewing machine getting ready to finish up sewing another apron for Christmas, when I realized my white thread was no where to be found. Cue 15 minutes of aggravated desk cleaning/searching, and still, my white thread was simply gone. I imagine one of the cats hid it somewhere to play with.

I did, however, get my desk cleaned & organized. When we first moved to our new home, we decided that the front room would be a den, slash library, slash sewing room, slash pet room. We bought a large old desk at Goodwill, and placed it against a wall. It has 3 large drawers on the side, and one wide slim drawer in the middle.

However, I must admit, what ever crafty period I am going through now is making up for the past year. My sewing desk sat neglected, and the drawers somehow got appropriated. I found things from our 2008 taxes, to diapers (clean, but diapers none-the-less), to old school work, video games, cables, and more. I gutted the desk. If it wasn't a craft project, or supplies, it did not belong.

And yet, that brand new roll of white thread was no where.

So there I sat, with the sewing bug firmly in place, and several unfinished projects that all required.... yes, white thread. I seriously just started at my sewing machine. Meanwhile, Nick kept looking at me, all nervous like, as though I were getting ready to start hot gluing ribbons and lace onto his precious Man Cave items. Did I mention that all though the room was going to be a family area, it turned into Nick's Man Cave? His computer, tv, and video games are in there for him to enjoy.

Well, he's been a champ about sharing space, though the blinds that let in much needed natural light keep shutting mysteriously.

Where was I? Ah, yes. In deep need of a project. I started sorting through my fabric, and came across the ugliest green polyester. It feels like something from the 70's, and I know without a doubt, it is not something I would have bought with a purpose. I have no recollection of buying it at all, so I can only guess it came from a bag of material or lot of material I found at a yard sale or 2nd hand shop.

With all of the crafting I have been doing, I have really missed having a pin cushion. I have a magnetic spot on my machine that I stick the pins on. And... well... I'm almost embarrassed to show it, but a DIY sort of pin cushion that wasn't made to BE that, but somehow got made INTO that over the years.

It's a vase that at some point, I stuffed some spare batting into, probably when I was cleaning up. When we lived up north, my sewing area was the dining room table, so it was always cleaned up when I was done. After that cleanup, at some point, I started sticking pins into the batting, and using a vase of all things, as my pin cushion.

So, I cut off a length of massively ugly green material, sewed a pillow shape, stuffed it with the batting from the vase, sewed it shut, and had myself a pin cushion. And then I was bored once more.

I had an idea- sewing an ugly green monster! I had the left over bits of socks from Raegan's arm warmer, slash fingerless gloves. They are black, green, tan, and blue argyle, and.. well... kind of ugly. I cut them apart, and sewed tubes. As I was pulling the material to turn it right side out, I realized that by only pulling it halfway, I was stuffing the arms at the same time.

I made 2 arms, and 2 legs, then a section of massively ugly green material. I attached the limbs with pins, and sewed a box shaped monster, then turned it inside out, and stuffed it, before sewing the top shut. It's kind of thick material, so having 2 sections of it folded over, meant sewing through 4 pieces, which my machine did not enjoy. It left the top edge not great.

The arms were a little high up. I didn't have any felt on hand to make a face with. I tried to add a shiny green eye, but the material wasn't great, and I abandoned that idea. I did, however, stick some pins in him for a face, making him into the ugly little green monster pin cushion.