Tiny pincushion tutorial

My friend Megumi (click the link and there she is, on the left, looking gorgeous) mailed me three of these adorable little pincushions for my birthday. I was so delighted with them that I asked her if I could post instructions for making some here. She agreed. Maybe she makes them differently (and definitely with better craftsmanship!), but here's what I ended up doing.

You'll need:
• A bottle cap from a 2-liter pop bottle, or something with a larger diameter if you like, depending on what size cushion you want. It should be about 1/2" to 3/4" deep.
• Pretty fabric
• Coordinating felt
• Coordinating ribbon that's wide enough to hide the sides of your cap
• Stuffing, batting or cotton balls (I stole some stuffing out of a pillow on my couch)
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Glue (I used craft glue and a hot glue gun.)

1. Cut a felt circle the same diameter as your cap and glue it on (I used gel craft glue).
2. Cut your pretty fabric into a circle. For the 2-liter bottle cap size, make a circle that's about 3 1/2" in diameter. Add a little more for a bigger cap. It's not too fussy.
3. Stitch in and out around the circle to gather it, making a bowl shape.

4. Put as much stuffing into it as you can possibly fit, and tie off your thread. If some stuffing sticks out, no problem.
5. Put some hot glue around the inside edges of your cap and nestle your little stuffed pillow into it, smooshing it down tightly.

6. Glue decorative ribbon around the cap to hide the ugly sides. Done.