Sew a ladybird pincushion: free sewing pattern

Use oddments of cotton fabric to make our cute pincushion

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Bright and cheerful, this is an excellent pincushion for a child to help make and then to have as their own. Start them stitching at a young age!

You will need

• ladybird templates (see page 2)
• scissors, needles and pins
• two 10x5cm and one 9x7cm piece of red wool/acrylic mix felt
• small scraps of black felt
• fading fabric marker pen
• fabric glue
• sewing threads to match felt
• 2 tiny pearl buttons
• two flat black beads
• 9x7cm piece of cardboard
• kapok stuffing
• blunt-pointed knitting needle or thin chopstick

1. Using the templates on page 2, cut two bodies and one base from red felt, and two heads from black felt. Cut as many spots as you want from black felt. Using small dabs of fabric glue, stick the heads in position as indicated by the dotted line on the body template; note that the top and bottom edges of the head should just stick out beyond the edge of the body, as shown far right. Use dabs of glue to stick the spots in place, remembering that ladybirds are symmetrical.

2. Using black sewing thread, blanket stitch around each spot and along the edge of the head that curves across the body.

3. Using a beading needle and black sewing thread, sew a button to each head piece, then sew a bead to the middle of each button, positioning them as shown to make the eyes.

4. Put the two body pieces wrong sides together. Using black sewing thread, blanket stitch from the nose to the back of the head and fasten off. Using red sewing thread, blanket stitch along the top of the body.

5. Wrong sides together, pin the body to the base. Using black sewing thread, blanket stitch the head section to the base, then change to red thread to start stitching the rest of the body to the base. Blanket stitch halfway around the body.

6. Cut a base from cardboard, trim it a little and slip it into the ladybug. Sew up the seam a bit more, stuff the ladybird quite firmly with kapok, then finish sewing the body to the base. See page 3 for more pincushion stuffing options.

This ladybird pincushion is taken from 'Super-cute Pincushions' by Kate Haxell (CICO, £12.99).