Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: tin can pincushion

we’re always on the lookout for fun materials we can use in our diy projects. this time we found it right under our noses (actually it was right under our cats’ noses). after giving them a special treat of wet food the other day, we decided to repurpose the empty can into a handy little pincushion. all it took was some poly-fil, a strip of decorative paper, and some leftover linen from our appliqué pillow project. super simple, super cheap, and our cats are already begging us to make another one. click here for the full instructions or just click “read more” below.

have fun!
derek & lauren

Tin Can Pincushion

Here’s what you’ll need:
-1 small tin can
-1 piece of fabric, approx. 8” x 8”
-handful of poly-fil
-small piece of gift wrap or other decorative paper
-double-stick tape
-hot glue
-blade and straight edge for cutting paper

1. carefully remove label from outside of can.

2. trace label onto your piece of decorative paper, adding 1/2″ to the length for overlap.

3. attach to can with one small strip of double-stick tape, and overlap ends with a second piece of tape.

4. place a handful of poly-fil in the center of your fabric square, gathering the ends to create a loose ball shape.

5. line the inside rim of the can with hot glue and insert the fabric/poly-fil ball, with raw edges going into the bottom of the can.

6. tuck in fabric until it is taut. insert pins.

Sorry, we had a comment error so I’m adding a few that were mistakenly posted under the center advertisement:

Wendren: Ive been looking for a new pincushion….this is just the thing for me. Thanks.

Char: Great! But how do you get rid of that lingering tuna smell…

I disagree with homard, I love having DIY stuff to read-it’s better to repurpose trash than to spend money on something that’s been made in three different countries…

I’ve been needing a pincushion, so I’ll certainly be making on of these!

and i thought most pincushions were filled with some sort of emery sand. to sharpen you pins. but i don’t think that would work for this. it’s just cute. besides, how many time do you need to sharpen your pins?

I used to make tons of these with my mum for gifts when I was in grade school – the only difference was that we didn’t open the can all the way around so we could pry it open and turn the lid into a chair back with the stuffed tin being the seat. Lots of our rellies still have them!

I look forward to DIY every week. I’m one of those people who always wants to do this stuff, but doesn’t have enough confidence to get started. I always come here for inspiration – and that’s what I get, especially with simple projects like this. It opens the doors of my imagination for other ideas to come in! Thank you so much!

Hi Deepa-

The decorative paper is a leftover scrap from a sheet of gift wrap we purchased at Paper Source (http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/giftwrap/sheet_wrap.html), though I don’t see it on their website. They’ve got lots of other great patterns though!!

Did they have to use something special to get the smell out? I would like to try this with my tuna fish cans. Maybe baking powder and lemon will do the trick…

P.S. I love the DIY section and I love the idea of using stuff we already have around the house or what was headed to a landfill.

If you can get some wool roving to stuff your pincushions, your needles and pins will not rust. The natural oil in the wool keeps them in good condition. You may be able to find this at shops that specialize in kitting, spinning and felting supplies.

I love this. I love to glue a magnet on the bottom of these pincushions to I can either attach the pincushion to the metal table or machine…or use the magnet as a little vacuum for any stray pins that might have not made it to the cushion.

THANKS for a fun idea.

very fine steel wool will also sharpen needles and pins, I put small rocks in the bottom to weight it down some, filled in the remainder of the bottom with polyfiberfill and then 0000 steel wool in the top. Mom is a quilter and this is a gift for her.

The reason the small strawberry pincushions have emery is to sharpen your pins and needles, but you can’t leave your needles in those cushions or they will rust. The filling used here is just fine for it’s use, and it’s an old-school diy project, nothing wrong with that, I love redoing things I did with my mom and grandmother. Everything old is new again.

What a great upcycling idea for cans.!
I’m using a DIY pincushion shaped like a little pillow that I stitched from leftover sweater scraps from the pogos that I make. I kept losing it, so I added a patch of rubbery rug padding to the bottom. Now it stays put and I no longer find it on the floor.

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