
I finally made a Kelly McKaig pincushion from my oft-perused-but-never-sewn Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts book. I've had the book for a while, but until last night had never even taken out the folded pattern sheet in the back (a fate shared by several other good books in my library).
I've admired the eye-candy pincushions every time I've opened the book, and last night when I came up to the craft room to fetch something I was overcome by the sudden urge to make one. Does that ever happen to you?

And I found it doesn't take very long to make one (cut and sewn in about 15 minutes, stuffed and finished while watching a good Newsradio re-run). What took me the longest was deciding which fabrics to use. Since the pattern piece fits nicely on less than half of a charm square, that widens the fabric options quite a bit. I remade the pattern piece on cardstock without the fold, since it was such a tiny piece anyway and I didn't want to mess with folding the fabric to cut it.
Have you guys made one? Where are you supposed to leave the opening? I reread the directions and it says that the opening is indicated on the template, but I can't see it on there. I left it open near the point, which was a mistake. Too hard to stitch closed after stuffing.
I might have to make more of these. I think the pincushion is lonely and needs some companions in different colors. Which is a bit ridiculous because I don't really use pincushions that much. Instead I have these less aesthetic but more practical magnetic pin holders. They fit in with my frenetic style of sewing. I just toss the pins in their general direction and the magnetic field snaps the pin in place. But there is no denying the charm of a pincushion, is there? I'll use it for my sewing and embroidery needles.