Strawberry Mice Pincushion

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

Thank you for your response to my strawberry mice. I was uncertain whether these mice would be of interest simply because they are quite tiny and a bit fiddly to make. This is just a quick little tutorial showing you the basics. If you dislike working in miniature, please feel free to make these larger. They're a fun project either way.

Let me just say that although you can hand stitch the components together (and drive yourself crazy), gluing is so much easier when working with tiny pieces like the ears. I have used a combination of stitching and gluing. My fabric glue of choice is Fabri-Tac.


To create the body of the mice, start with a 4" circle. Cut the circle in half at the center point. Each half will make one mouse.
Fold the half-circle in half, right sides together. Using a 1/4" seam, sew along the straight edge. Turn right side out.


With needle and thread, take a running stitch along the raw edge. Stuff with your favorite pincushion stuffing. If you will be using the mice as needle sharpeners, you may wish to fill them with emery. Gather tightly, knot securely, and clip thread.


To make the ears, start off with a 3/8" square of felt. Round off all 4 corners. Cut the circle in half.


To create the leaves at the base of the strawberry, start with a 1-1/2" circle. Cut 6 slits 1/2" in length evenly spaced around the circle. Trim the tip of each segment to create the pointy edge of a leaf. Make a small hole in the center and feed rattail cord through the hole. Tie a knot on one end of the rattail.


To create the tail leaves, start with a 5/8" square of felt. Round off both bottom corners and cut the other end into a point. You are trying to achieve a tear drop shape.


Glue the hull leaves over the gathered end of the strawberry, making sure to hide the knot in the rattail between the strawberry and the leaves.

Place a thin line of glue along the straight edge of each ear and glue it into place at both sides of the mouse's head.


Place a small amount of fabric glue to the rounded end of the tail leaves and press it into place around the rattail. Continue randomly adding leaves.


With a beading needle and seed beads, add the eyes and a nose. If you wish, add beads to the body for a little bit of mousie bling.


To create the whiskers, thread 6 strands of embroidery floss onto a needle. Tie a knot approximately 1/2" in from the end of the thread. Sew completely through the snout to the opposite side. Secure the whiskers onto the mouse with another knot. Clip thread to approximately 1/2". Trim each side of the whiskers to the desired length. Separate the individual threads to form the whiskers.


I am sure that most of you already know how to make a round, tufted pincushion. If you do not, I recommend this tutorial to create the body of the pincushion. It is a wonderful tutorial with clear and easy to follow instructions.
I used 8" circles for the body of my pincushion as I prefer a fairly large cushion to accommodate a larger amount of pins.
Follow the tutorial to it's completion, omitting the button on top as this will be covered by the "strawberry bush."


To create the "strawberry bush" that protrudes from the center of the pincushion, cut a 12" x 2" rectangle of green felt. Cut 11 slits, approximately 1" apart, stopping about 3/8" from the bottom edge. Trim the tip of each segment to create the pointy edge of a leaf.


With needle and thread, take a running stitch along the straight edge. Gather and tie a knot to secure.


Roll the straight edge, stitching in place as you go.


To assemble, glue the ends of the tails into the center of the pincushion. Glue the "strawberry bush" on top to hide the mechanics.


Have fun with this tutorial. I hope to see colonies of strawberry mice pop up throughout Blogland.

Have a wonderful and creative day!

Aloha!