I’ve been thinking about making more make-do pin cushions since I made this one.
I’ve collected glasses and other things that I think will make suitable bases- I found a number of good candidates at my parents house during the clean up. I’ve saved glasses and vases with chips out of the lips and pressed glass that has interesting patterns. These are a few-
That strange footed thing in the picture is something that sat on the shelf for years at home- when I was packing it away, I realised it is obviously missing a lid. I think it would make an excellent pin cushion- very stable. I was thinking I would use the tall glasses to make holders for my Mom’s hat pin collection. I’ve started in on that project-
So here is my question- how do people attach the fabric to the glass? When I made the last one, the fabric wrapped around the outside and so I gathered in the fabric and tied it tight. This time the stuffed part needs to sit inside the the glass. Also, what should I put in the clear bottom of the glass- I want the glass pattern to show up nicely… hmmm, problems…
You could fill the glass with those colored pebbles they sell in the garden supply center (color matched to the pincushion, or shades of green for more stem, etc). For attaching the fabric, have you experimented with those epoxy glues (the 2 part stuff)? I think some of those dry clear, but this of course would make it a permanent fixture. I like this idea of make-dos .. what a great thing to do with “grandma’s” glass-ware sitting around the cupboards!
So you’re looking for a glue that holds porous to non-pourus, and GemTac works great.Went thru my Gem-Tac phase where I used it to fix everything.Looks like Elmer’s, holds like the big guys. Never tried glass, hope it works.
I was feeling overwhelmed and uninspired till I stumbled onto your blog today, and I want to thank you for the positive energy you send out.Maybe I’d better strike while the iron is hot, and vacuum a little.Either that, or just make little outfits for the Dust Bunnies.Responsibility vs.Creativity: let’s see which Force prevails.
These are pretty Mimi :) I’m thinking that anything you put in the bottom would just detract from the glass pattern rather than enhance it so I probably wouldn’t use anything. There’s probably a variety of glues you could use, Gem-Tac is definitely a good one; you might just try hot glue too if you can keep it from getting too messy.
I wonder about filling the glass with fine sand and putting a spike in the pin cushion to push down into it. Or I guess since the glass tapers in from the neck you could make a circle of fabric like a shower cap (sounds silly, I know!) that fits over the glass that the pin cushion is attached to and sits in.
Darn .. I wrote a whole comment and then didn’t get the letter code right – it was an upper oh instead of a zero. So I lost the whole thing. Grrrr. Let’s see .. I think I said … maybe iridescent cellophane would look nice in the glass but it wouldn’t add any weight for stability. If you go to http://www.thistothat.com they recommend 3M77 and Weldbond for glueing fabric to glass. But they say to check for transparency. I think these are quite nice with the elegant wine glasses.
Fill the glass with white sand? That should show off the pattern. If you have something to stablize the glass, do you really need to permanently attach the pincushion?