Mushroom Pincushion

Create a charming woodland scene in your home office or sewing room with an adorable stuffed mushroom pincushion! Available in two sizes, these happy little fungi are easy to make and oh so charming when complete.

First, use your dieline templates, labeled with a "DL" in your zipped design files (for example, UTZ2400d_DL), to cut out the mushroom pieces from your chosen fabrics. Pieces "a", "b", and "c" are cut out of a cream cotton fabric, and "d" is cut out of a maroon colored cotton.

Note: Use a little temporary spray adhesive on the back of the paper to adhere it to the fabric before cutting. If you don't have embroidery software to print the dieline templates, follow these instructions for stitching dielines.

To begin your mushroom pincushion embroidery, hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer, making sure it is taut in the hoop. The first color change of piece "d" (the mushroom cap) will stitch a dieline onto the stabilizer.

Carefully remove the hoop from your machine (do not unhoop the stabilizer), and spray the back of the "d" fabric piece. Carefully place it within the stitched dieline on top of the stabilizer.

The next color change will stitch a tackdown to hold the fabric dieline in place, and then the inner decoration will sew. The last color stop will stitch a satin border around the shape to finish the embroidery design.

Finish the mushroom piece by unhooping the design and tearing away the excess stabilizer around the edges of the embroidered piece. Make sure to leave the stabilizer on the back of the embroidery for stability.

Repeat the steps to embroider and finish the other three pieces of the mushroom (files "a", "b", and "c"). Keep in mind that not all of the pieces have decorative stitches on them.

Take the stem of the mushroom (piece "a"), and hand sew the two short sides together to make it into a loop. Make sure the right side of the piece is facing out, and use a hand sewing needle and thread matching the embroidery for best results.

Next take the bottom of the stem (piece "b"), and hot glue the magnet to the stabilizer on the wrong side of the piece. This will help weigh the mushroom down, and allow it to stand easily. You can also use a washer if preferred.

Using a hand sewing needle, stitch the bottom of the stem (piece "b") to the wider end of the stem (piece "a"). Make sure the magnet ends up on the inside of the stem, so that you only see fabric from the outside.

Fill the stem up with polyester fiber fill. For best results, stuff the stem densely with the filling so that it is very firm and full.

Then use a hand sewing needle to stitch the open end of the stem to the hexagon shaped mushroom cap bottom (piece "c"). Make sure the right side of the mushroom cap bottom is against the stem, and line the top of the stem up with the embroidered circle.

Now take the mushroom cap (piece "d"), and press two of the outer sections together with the wrong sides touching. Hand sew along the curved edges to create the first dart.

Repeat to sew each of the six darts on the mushroom top, creating its cute and round shape.

Next, hand stitch the mushroom cap onto its hexagon shaped bottom piece (piece "c"). Match up the straight sides and corners, and make sure to leave one side open for stuffing.

Fill the cap up with polyester fiber fill, and then hand sew it closed.

Voila! You have a magical woodland mushroom for your sewing room. Make a whole colony and accent with moss and rocks for added appeal!