Thursday, November 6, 2014

Crafty Thursdays: Pin Cushion Jars with Isabella Alan & Giveaway




Isabella Alan (who also writes as Amanda Flower) joins us for Crafty Thursdays to make a jar pin cushion. 

Instead of giving away the craft this week, we are giving away a copy of Amanda's book (Just comment below, US residents only). So here's a little about Isabella's new book, Murder, Simply Stitched:

When Angela Braddock enters her quilts in an Amish auction, she never expects one of her neighbors to end up going, going, gone....

Angie is finding her niche as the new owner of her late aunt’s Amish quilt shop, Running Stitch. But as the summer is winding down, so is business. To bolster support for the shop, Angie decides to sell her quilts in the Rolling Brook Amish Auction, including some of her aunt’s most prized works.

The quilts promise to be a hit—but the gavel comes down on the lively event when Angie stumbles upon the body of township trustee Wanda Hunt behind a canning shed. The cause of death: a poisoned blueberry fry pie from Rachel Miller’s bakery table. Now Angie’s closest friend is a murder suspect. With Angie taking the lead, she and the other women of her aunt’s quilting circle set out to patch together the clues and stop a killer set on shredding the simple peace of Rolling Brook.
And now for the craft:

One of the most fun parts of writing the bestselling Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries for Obsidian is making up the crafts for the end of each novel. At the end of Murder, Simply Stitched, I share how to make pincushion jar. It’s super easy and a great addition to any Amish or English quilter’s sewing box. 



Supplies:
Fabric
Scissors
Thread
Needle
Polyester Stuffing
Mason jar
Hot glue gun

STEP ONE
Cut a square twice the diameter of the metal top of the jar.

STEP TWO
Piece together the top into a square with thread and needle.

STEP THREE
Cut a thin piece of fabric into a circle the exact size of the lid’s metal insert.

STEP FOUR
Shape the polyester stuffing into a ball, cover with pieced quilt top, and push the stuffing with quilt top through ring portion of the jar’s lid. Put the metal circle insert firmly into place inside the lid’s ring, underneath the stuffing, allowing the edges of the fabric to hang out over the sides of the metal circle.

STEP FIVE
Warp the end of the pieced square around the back of the metal circle. Hot glue the fabric to the back of the metal circle, and cut off any excess fabric. 

STEP SEVEN
Take the fabric circle you cut earlier in step three and glue it over the bottom on the melt circle to hide the quilt top’s jagged edges.

STEP EIGHT
Screw the lid onto jar, and you are done!

*******
Purchase any edition of A Plain Malice between now and Thursday, November 27, 2014, and 100% of the author’s royalties will go to a local food pantry, The Landing, located in Akron, Ohio.
Order Kindle edition here.
Order Nook edition here.
Buy a mystery and help feed a community. 
Follow Amanda on Social Media at: Facebook Twitter Goodreads Pinterest


18 comments:

  1. Simply Stitched is captivating as is this craft. thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  2. Such a great craft, not just a pin cushion, but a jar to store the pins. I am SO making this. The mystery sounds great, I love a good cozy mystery.

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  3. A delightful feature with a wonderful craft. So practical and special. Mystery is intriguing. elliotbencan(at)hotmail)dot)com

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  4. What a cute craft and I would love to read Amanda's book.
    marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
    Merry

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  5. I love Amanda's books! This craft is cute. My grandmother used to make some similar to this pin cushion. Would love to win book. Rhonda nashhall AT aol DOT com

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  6. Clever pin cushion. The book sounds good. Bobbipad at gmail.com

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  7. Love the craft idea...but you kinda lost me at step two when I saw the words...needle and thread. "I cannot sew to save my life, to make a craft or be a good wife. I cannot sew to earn some money...but I hope you'll think this poem is somewhat funny!"

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  8. I've always wanted to make one of these for my mom :) Hopefully I won't have any trouble finding the small jars :)

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  9. This would be so easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
    makeighleekyleigh at yahoo dot com

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  10. I made one of those many, many years ago, when my girls were in Girl Pioneers (like Girl Scouts, only with our church) and we used a pint jar and then had put small spools of thread and small buttons and things inside the jar. A small sewing kit in a jar. I still use mine all the time.

    ElaineE246(at)msn(dot)com

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  11. What an adorable pincushion and a great storage place as well. Simple but fully functional craft. I would love to read the book. Great to cozy up to the fire and read it with a cup of tea and my cat in my lap.

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  12. Thanks for sharing.I am definately going be making this.

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  13. These books sound great and are defiitely on my TBR list.

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  14. I love your books! Can't wait to try making this jar.

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  15. I love the idea that your books come with a craft! I haven't read your books yet but I would love to start! Amish fiction is my favorite! kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.

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  16. I am going to try to make this pin cushion! I can't wait to read this book! It looks really good! Maybe I could win a copy!!!!
    cavallofrances@yahoo.com

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  17. What a fun craft and the book sounds fabulous.

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  18. Our Winner is Megan Parsons! Look for an e-mail soon.

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