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Friday, November 15, 2013

Upcycled Baby Food Jar

I saved many of the baby food jars from when my son was smaller, initially just because they made great bowls for mashed foods, and now are great for snacks like raisins and cheerios. Still, I have a lot, and am always trying to think of new ways to use them.

I was completing my fall wreath when I realized I do not own a pin cushion! Remembering this tutorial I had pinned on using a mason jar, I pulled out a baby food jar and got to work. It's the perfect size for my needs.

Here's how I did it:

Take any circular object that is larger than the lid and trace your pattern on paper.

Cut it out and pin it to your fabric. I am just using an old dress.

Cut this out, no precision required, as the edges will be hidden.

Sew a running stitch all around the perimeter, no knots needed, but leave decent-size tails on each end.

Use any soft material—batting, cotton balls, fleece scraps—and place in the center. (My son has a sad bear with a hole in it needing to be stitched, so I borrowed a small amount of batting from him. Poor guy.) Now, pull your 2 tails of stitching together, until your stuffing is completely enclosed. Knot and trim the tails.

Next, I traced around my lid to cover, just so none of the lid would show. I hot glued it to the lid.

To cover the sides of the lid, I decided to use up some rainbow-colored yarn I have, although thin ribbon would have worked too.  I merely hot glued a small bead at one point, wound my yarn around, then another tiny bead at the finish.

Next, I put a good amount of glue on the lid and smooshed (my word!) my fabric filled with stuffing on top. I think I'd do this before the yarn-covering next time, just to get a cleaner line.


Now, if your jar is clean of any gummy glue from the label, you can be finished, but I had a stubborn spot that nothing has helped remove, so I cut a small strip from my shirt and wrapped it around my jar, and added a decorative "R" from my scrap book collection. 

And here's the finished product: functional, with lots of space for spare buttons and needles. I am very happy with my new pin cushion! 


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