Surprise!

This posting is going to surprise at least two people -- my friend Sherry and me! Sherry has listened to me talk about making miniatures . . . for years while I did nothing but search websites endlessly. Well, now the deed is done. I bought a Sewing Work Basket kit designed by Lisa's Little Things -- and I made it!

Click on the photos to enlarge them.


Additions from My Collection

• Pair of reading glasses
• Sewing machine
• Woven basket -- to hold all the extras Lisa provides in the kit
• Spool of orange thread
• Scissors (the big ones with black handles -- the two smaller scissors are part of Lisa's kit)
• Tape measure which I substituted for Lisa's tape measure

Pin cushion -- small one (left) before I revamped it

Tomato Pin Cushion
I thought I was going to use my old pin cushion because I remembered it being smaller than the one that came with Lisa's kit, but when I found it, the older pin cushion was actually bigger. However, I liked the detail work on it better . . . so I copied the way it was made.

Small pin cushion after the revamp

• I took the small tomato pin cushion apart, removing a green "flower" at the top of the tomato. It was glued on and appeared to be made of paper or synthetic leather/felt.
• I removed the double-ply green threads that divide the tomato.
• Replaced the divider threads with single-ply embroidery floss for a more delicate scale.
• For the star on top, I used double-ply floss and the daisy stitch.
• Et voila!

Revamped pin cushion

Finishing Touches
For added realism, I crumpled the tape measure and some of the ribbon bits. I also cut up the lace that Lisa provided  making it half the width...just to get the scale right.


Great Kit
I liked this kit because I really did not have to get a bunch of new equipment or supplies. I had just about everything I needed. I only had to buy a brown brush tip marker. I seem to have lost my 1/8-inch punch but I figured out how to do the job with scissors. That said, my vision and dexterity are not what they used to be! Lisa provides all the extras and lots of them! She even added something I'd never heard of – thread winders. You can see them in the top drawer of the basket. Thank you Lisa for making this kit so doable!