First Tut (yeah, I know..........) Paper pieced star

Pick two fabrics.......

Cut out your templates (mine are 1 1/2" squares of old Christmas card and 2" squares of fabric (more about templates another day). Don't make your squares any smaller than 1 1/4" or you may need the people in white coats to come and take you away when you turn your finished piece out.  I use graph paper printed onto the card from this site www.printfreegraphpaper.com .  You can print any type and size of graph paper from here.

Fold the fabrics over the 'papers' and tack into place.  You might find it easier to pin the papers to the fabrics, but I prefer to hold them together, if needed, by using a paper clip.  Make sure the fabric is folded tightly  against the 'paper' and at the corners, put your finger nail against the next side to be tacked and fold that edge over, making a nice sharp corner.

The right side of the tacked square

         

         The wrong side of the tacked square

Tack all of your squares and with five squares of one of the fabrics, oversew the first pair together using whip stitch.  Make your stitches close and even and aim to pick up just two or three threads from each fabric.  That's the aim........

Sew four of the squares together, leaving one of the seams unsewn.  Add a fifth square and sew to the two remaining free edges

You should now have five squares of one of your fabrics joined.  Repeat this process with five squares of the other fabric.  Sew both of the 'stars' right sides together, leaving a gap as wide as possible on one of the sides.  Remove tacking and papers and turn out through gap.  Use a needle, gently, to make sure the corners are as  turned out and as square as possible.  

Fill with Polyfill, emery powder, Chinchilla sand or my favourites sawdust of chopped up ends of wool and threads (from tackings etc......)  

Cut and knot a double thickness of thread and sew through points at centre from both sides to pull the centre inwards.  Pull the thread tightly and knot.  Add buttons in the centre of each side.  See my home-made fabric covered buttons on 19/03/2012

And Tah-dah!!!!   Well, whadah yah know?!? Computer has completely fallen over and I can't add the finished pincushion.  Will go away and whine, cry, stamp feet and try to reload.  It never rains but it pours.

Whoo-hoo!
Next time, a variation on this and different way to prepare your papers and cut your fabrics.........