Easy Mother's Day Gifts: Make a Cupcake Pin Cushion

Are you looking for a unique handmade Mother's Day gift idea? Moms of all ages will enjoy this "sweet" cupcake pin cushion.

My daughter was the inspiration behind this easy Mother's Day gift project. She loves to sew but wanted to know why all pin cushions seem to look like tomatoes.

"Pin cushions don't have to look like a tomato," I agreed. I asked her what kind of pin cushion she would like to make.

"A cupcake," she announced and added, "The straight pin tops would look like sprinkles!" Another fun homemade gift idea was baked up in our kitchen.

Time to make: This Mother's Day craft takes about 30 minutes including 15 minutes for glue to set.

Cost to make: You can purchase supplies for 6 cupcake pin cushions for around $12.00, making them about $2.00 a piece if you have basic supplies like a needle and thread and glue on hand.

Age appropriateness: With a glue gun, straight pins and simple sewing stitches involved, this handmade Mother's Day gift is appropriate for ages 9 and up.

Materials:

Silicone baking cups
Quilt batting
9-inch diameter circle of fabric
Scissors
Needle
Thread
Pencil
Fabric glue or hot glue gun
Multi-colored straight pins

Silicone cupcake baking cups are sold in kitchen stores and even in the baking aisle of many grocery stores. They generally come in packs of six, which is great news because you can make this unique Mother's Day gift for moms, grandmothers and the other special women in your life.

Step one:

We used a satin fabric for a shiny cupcake but you could use felt, linen or cotton in any color that you desire for the cupcake frosting. The circle of fabric will need to be roughly 9 inches in diameter.

Be crafty. You don't need to get out a protractor here to measure. We perused the kitchen with a ruler and found a pottery crock lid that was about 9 inches in diameter. We placed it over our scrap of fabric, traced and cut.

Step two:

Start with a small handful of quilt batting. Place it on the center of your fabric and pull the fabric to the top. Simply make a few loose stitches to gather the fabric on the bottom. None of this handiwork will show so it doesn't need to be perfect. Leave an opening in case you need to remove some quilt batting.

Step three:

Sit the cupcake into the silicone cupcake dish to test for size. Use your fingers to work out any odd puckering. Once you're happy with the look of your cupcake, remove it and add a few drops of fabric glue or hot glue on the base and around the lower part of the inside. I prefer a hot glue gun for the best hold with most crafts but do make your drops of glue as small as possible.

Step four:

Return the cupcake to the silicone cupcake dish and let it sit for at least 15 minutes for the glue to dry. You'll want to pull and perfect the edges but it's better to wait. Just pretend your cupcake is cooling and clean up any supplies you don't need anymore.

Step five:

Now use the colored straight pins to create the look of sprinkles. You can create a pattern with a few chosen colors or cover the cupcake pincushion with straight pin sprinkles.

A cupcake pin cushion is both fanciful and practical. Moms don't have to be ardent seamstresses to adore this handmade Mother's Day gift idea. Best of all, this cupcake is calorie free and fat free but still extra sweet.

Sources:
Personal craft experience
"Did you know?" answer attributed to Yahoo! Answers