And now, she’s added fabric designer to her resume!  Amanda Jean‘s new fabric line is called Good Neighbors and is exclusive to Connecting Threads.  To celebrate the release of her fabric (available September 8), Amanda Jean and Connecting Threads are hosting a pincushion party!  Check out the rest of the lineup below.

I’ve only ever made one pincushion before and that was a LONG time ago, so I was eager to jump in.  (As a side note, the pincushion I use every day is one of those tomato/ strawberry ones that I’ve had FOR-EVER.  The filling is starting to spill out of it, so it was time!).  With so many fun colors and prints, it was hard to decide what my pincushion top should look like.  I’m always a fan of an orange peel/leaf design, two colors and a bit of hand applique so off I went in that direction.

After asking advice on Instagram and Facebook about lining the pincushion or not, I ended up adding a layer of fusible fleece to both the top and bottom of the pincushion.  I meant to quilt the top before I put the whole thing together, but in my excitement to finish the project, I forgot!  I filled the whole thing with crushed walnut shells, hand stitched it closed and added some pins.

I read somewhere years ago that because metal pins and needles were quite expensive way back when, sewists sometimes made designs with their pins in their pincushions so they could tell if any were missing.  I thought that was a fun idea and have done it ever since.

Would you like a chance to play with a charm pack of Good Neighbors?  Of course you would and I have a charm pack to give away!  (Sorry, but the giveaway is limited to US and Canadian residents).  Just tell me if you’ve ever made a pincushion. What shape was it?  How big? (Mine finishes at 4″ square)  What did you fill it with?  I’ll pick a random winner at the end of the day on Thurs, Sept 10.  Don’t forget to leave your email address in your comment – you can’t win if I can’t reach you!

Date	Blogger Name	Blog URL
9/1/2015	Amanda Jean	http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/ (kick off blog post)
9/2/2015	Anna	http://www.noodle-head.com/
9/3/2015	Mary	http://maryonlakepulaski.blogspot.com/
9/4/2015	Svetlana	http://sotakhandmade.blogspot.com/
9/5/2015	Debbie	https://debbiegrifka.com/
9/6/2015	Holly	http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/
9/7/2015	Carla	http://carla-graceandfavour.blogspot.com/
9/8/2015	Faith	www.FreshLemonsQuilts.com
9/9/2015	Vanessa	http://www.vanessachristenson.com/
9/10/2015	Anna	http://www.thimbleanna.com/
9/11/2015	Krista	http://poppyprintcreates.blogspot.com/
9/12/2015	Erin	http://whynotsew.blogspot.com/
9/13/2015	Lee	http://www.maychappell.com/
9/14/2015	Alex	http://teaginnydesigns.blogspot.com/
9/15/2015	Cheryl	http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com/
9/16/2015	Penny	http://sewtakeahike.typepad.com/
9/17/2015	Amy	http://duringquiettime.com/
9/18/2015	Debbie	http://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/
9/19/2015	Anne	http://www.springleafstudios.com/
9/20/2015	Melissa Corry	http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/
9/21/2015	Amber	http://www.oneshabbychick.typepad.com/
9/22/2015	Nettie	http://aquiltisnice.blogspot.com/
9/23/2015	Adrianne	http://www.littlebluebell.com/
9/24/2015	Cindy	http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/
9/25/2015	Amy	http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/
9/26/2015	Chase	http://quarterinchmark.blogspot.com/
9/27/2015	Rene	http://www.renecreates.com/
9/28/2015	Erin	http://www.houseonhillroad.com/
9/29/2015	Nicole	http://modernhandcraft.com/
9/30/2015	Teri	http://blog.connectingthreads.com/ (wrap-up blog post)