Watermelon Wednesday

Today's afternoon stress reliever produced this adorable watermelon pincushion! This is a perfect project for those who like to machine sew/quilt and do hand stitching...but it is a little labor intensive, so plan on an afternoon to finish this good sized fruity pin pillow. The pattern is from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. and is titled Fruit Salad Pincushions...it has instructions for both a watermelon and a strawberry. This is a great pattern for using up scraps...and you know I have been trying to put my scraps to good use lately! I used my AccuQuilt Go! fabric cutter and my 1 1/2" strip cutter die to cut most of the pieces. After piecing the fruit and the rind, both pieces are quilted, then cut to shape. Seeds are then added to the fruit by using Perle Cotton No. 5 and hand working French Knots...then the pieces are sewn together by machine, turned, and stuffed...finally you do a Herringbone Stitch by hand through both the rind and the fruit using Perle Cotton No. 5. This scrumptious watermelon is approximately 8 1/2" W x 4" H x 3 1/2" D...a nice big size. Shown in the photo are some more FABULOUS decorated pins from one of my favorite designers PuntiniPuntini....I just love these special pins! This fun summery pincushion was a wonderful afternoon distraction from several stress-filled days...it is always a treat when I make some time to sew...plus I got to combine two of my favorite things: hand stitching and machine sewing/quilting....