Felted holiday pincushions for the Christmas Market

I found that I could work on these cute pincushions even with my arm in a sling!  So far I've made two of them.  I might list them in my Etsy shop but not sure yet since I made these to take to the Christmas Market at the Archwood Green Barns  http://www.facebook.com/archwoodgreenbarns   in The Plains this Sunday, December 2nd.  There will be about 15 vendors in the little barn offering all kinds of yummy and beautiful Holiday things.  So come and visit us this Sunday.

Back to the pincushions.  These I made using wool sweaters which I felted in the washing machine.  I embroidered them with mercerized cotton thread and then needle felted the center button with Merino Sheep's fleece.  I have lots of different felting needles but one of my favorites is the Clover pen style one which holds just one needle.

       .    

It's best to have some refills  Clover 73883 Felting Needle Tool Refill Fine Weight-5-Pkg (Google Affiliate Ad) on hand to replace the one you break!  Trust me it does happen.   When I make the pincushions I use a heavy cotton thread that I pull through the center of the cushion and make it come out the other end so I can pull it really tight.  I then tie it off and then needle felt the center button over it to cover up the thread.  Hitting the knot with your felting needle is what can break them very quickly.