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I decided I needed a pincushion for my desk to keep me from randomly laying needles down and then promptly losing them on my desk, so I made this nine patch pincushion sewing pattern.
Why I Needed a New Pincushion
One thing that keeps me happy when I’m making is always having supplies right where I need them, even if it means having duplicates. So I have a little pair of scissors that lives on my desk, and another one that lives by my sewing machine, even though they’re only about four feet away.
I do a lot of hand sewing at my desk, so that’s where a lot of packages of needles live, plus yarn needles for weaving in ends and sewing up knitting and crochet projects.
But when I’m done with a needle (or even in the middle of a project) I’ll put it down and sometimes immediately lose it. I hope having this cute nine patch pincushion will cause me to be a little more organized and not leave needles everywhere.
Supplies
This nine patch pincushion sewing pattern is a great scrap buster because you just need a few small pieces of fabric. A nine patch typically has four squares each of two different colors, and a single square of a third color for the center (of course there are tons of variations). My squares were about 2 by 2 inches/5 by 5 cm.
You’ll also need a piece of fabric for the back of your pincushion. I actually cut a piece off some patchwork fabric I made previously. You may want a rotary cutter, mat and ruler for this process, or you can just use scissors.
This project uses a sewing machine and a tiny bit of hand sewing, so you’ll need the usual sewing supplies, needle and thread and scissors. I’m sorry to tell you you’ll also need an iron and ironing board.
You’ll also need something to stuff your pincushion. You can use regular Poly-fil stuffing, or I used wool roving because I had it out for a needle felting project. Mixing in walnut husks is a common suggestion for helping to keep your needles sharp, but I just used some roving.
Putting Together the Nine Patch
The first thing you need to do to make this pincushion sewing pattern is to make the nine patch, and for that you need to cut your fabric.
You can do this by hand or using a rotary cutter if you have one. As mentioned above, you’ll need four squares each of two fabrics and one of a third. You can make them any size you like but I like the size of a 2×2 square, which gives you a pincushion about 5 inches/12.7 cm square.
Lay out your squares so one color makes a cross and the other color is in each of the corners. Or you can make your own design.
I clipped mine together in three horizontal rows with the square right/front sides together and sewed them together. I did one set of seams in a chain like I would do for batch sewing, then the other. My seam allowance was as wide as my machine’s foot, but you can use whatever you like.
Clip any threads and iron the seams open.
Now clip the strips together right/front sides together and sew those seams. Take care to line up the edges of the squares with each other as best you can.
I will admit to not being the best at this and also not caring too much for something that’s going to sit on my desk. But if you’re making it for someone else or are more of a perfectionist than I am, take your time to line up the squares.
Making the Nine Patch Pincushion
Once you have the nine patch sewn together, give it a good ironing. I don’t really care if these seams are pressed open or not, but do what’s in your heart.
Cut a piece of fabric or other squares to make the back of the pincushion.
Pin or clip the sides together, right/front sides together, and sew around three sides fully and half of the fourth side. Trim any threads and, if desired, pink the edges or just clip the corners to make them turn more easily.
Turn the nine patch pincushion right side out and take the time to make sure the corners are as pointy as you’d like them.
Add your stuffing (again I used plain white wool roving that I’ve had for years).
Sew the rest of the seam closed. To do this fold the edges of the fabric inward and sew into those folded in pieces.
This little nine patch pincushion is so cute and I think it would make a great gift for a sewing friend or someone who is getting into sewing or mending.
