Measure the diameter of the top of your tea cup and triple it. (At least double it but no more than triple). My cup was 2 inches across so I cut a circle 6 inches in diameter out of a Christmas print material. You use a material that will best suit your cup and taste. Any material will do.
If you have the matching saucer, first glue cup to the saucer, this will > make the cup more steady as you use it.
Do a gathering stitch about 1/4 of an inch to 3/8 of an inch from edge. Tear some steel wool from pad and make a flattened circle a little larger than the top of the cup. Lay it in the center of your material circle. As you start to pull up the edge to gather it, fill with fiberfill or quilt batting. Fill firmly. Finish gathering until it is closed and tie off. Glue into cup with gathered side down in the cup and you have a nice rounded top on cup.
Now trim with gathered lace, ribbons, string beads, ribbon roses, etc. I don’t recommend dried flowers because as you use this pin cushion the dried flowers break and shed.
I know a lot of you are going to say polyester and man made fibers in materials dull needles and pin. That is why we put the steel wool in it, to keep them sharp and clean. Pins will go in pincushion and bobbins that we will be using can sit on the saucer in easy reach.
Sewing Forever, Housework Whenever.. Reta Jo
This how to was contributed by Sew What’s New