win a pincushion!

I was recently very impressed with my sister’s sashiko stitching. I had to try it. A few weeks ago I bought sashiko materials for a wee pincushion, and tried stitching a simple design with the intention of impressing her back:

Now, I enjoyed the stitching, but the thing I found most pleasing was the resulting pincushion-object. It was so neat! so wee! such a simple and satisfying design! And it fastened with *bobbles*, for crissakes.

bobbles!

how canny a thing is that?

Then a worrying haze descended. I was so enamoured of the prototype, I had to make another. This was clearly an appealing object that might be rendered in different ways, without sashiko stitching, using different fabrics . . .

. . . or several different fabrics . . .

Mr B returned home from a long run to find me frenetically turning out pincushions. “Look at them!” I shrieked, “they have bobbles!” “That’s right,” he nodded, backing nervously towards the door, “whatever you say. . .”

I have now managed to stop forming bobbles and Mr B has not packed me off to the puzzle factory. I do, however, have more pincushions than I know what to do with. I have given several away as gifts, but there are a few of the beggars left as testimony to my craft insanity. To save me from myself, just leave a comment on my blog between now and March 20th. I’ll select the ‘winner’ at random, and post you a pincushion.