Easy Boro Sashiko Style Biscornu Pincushion

If you love the look of Sashiko Boro stitching (Japanese Country stitching) but are worried about the difficulty and the time commitment, then why not start on this really easy Boro style Biscornu pincushion. It only takes a couple of hours and the results look much more spectacular than the effort involved.

My design is simple but I like incorporating a contrasting circle in the pattern because Boro to me always looks like a star scape, so I wanted a planet, too!

I have used some modern ‘cheat’ techniques to get fast, easy results. I have used iron on interfacing as a ‘glue’ to hold the tiny pieces together as I work. To keep the stitching pattern even, I have used Sulky Sticky Fabri-solvy, which you simply mark up in pencil, stitch straight through and it just melts away when washed in warm water.

You can apply the techniques you learn in making this pincushion to clothing patches, bags, accessories, and more. I have scaled it up to make many tote bags.

This project was entirely worked using hand stitching and I used recycled cotton scraps and old denim as the fabrics.

The finished size of pin cushion is 10.5cm square.

Gather all the magic ingredients together:

Very small collection of cotton fabric scraps in your choice of colours. I have used shades of blue. Pieces can be as little as 2cm
square.

Contrasting 5cm square of red cotton for the spot

Denim from an old pair of jeans for the back measuring 12.cm square

Light weight iron on interfacing measuring 26cm * 12.5cm

Scrap of fusible webbing about 5cm square Iron and ironing board

Thin Sashiko thread or embroidery thread in your choice of colour. I used gold and white

Small amount of polyester filling

Sashiko or large eye embroidery needle

Hand stitching needle

Hand stitching thread in a matching colour to your work

Scissors

2B pencil

Ruler

Pins

Using the light weight iron on interfacing, draw two squares
measuring 12.5cm. On each square mark a 1 cm border all around. This is handy later for pressing the squares and construction.

Also draw a small circle onto the fusible webbing (mine is 2.5 inches)

Using the denim square, iron one square of interfacing to the rear and cut neatly around the square. Set aside.

Using the fusible webbing, iron the small piece of contrasting fabric to the webbing, and cut neatly around the circle but do not remove the backing paper. Set aside.

The denim base of the Biscornu has a simple design created by just free forming lines with a ruler and pencil. I drew 6 intersecting lines in the middle of the square and I will use these to stitch a simple pattern in running stitch for the back.

Set the back aside.

The Boro top layer of the pincushion is formed by laying small pieces of cotton fabric on top of the SHINY side of the iron on interfacing. Why the shiny side? Because we will be pressing from the top to start to catch all the tiny fabric pieces down and hold them in place while we stitch our design.

My pieces are tiny. Just make sure your pieces cover the entire surface and overlap about 1 cm over each other in order to make the top strong enough to stay together. Make sure each of your tiny pieces of fabric is directly in contact with the interfacing layer somewhere. Don’t panic if the pieces go over the edges of your square because you can trim it back to size later.

Once you have layered all the pieces to a design that appeals, carefully carry the square over to your ironing board and press the pieces onto the interfacing using a hot iron and holding for at least the count of 10. Now turn the square to the back and iron again from the reverse to really stick those bits of fabric down!

Now that the top is secured, lay your red contrast circle on the top in slightly offset position (but keep at least 2cm clear of the edges). Iron the red circle into place using a hot iron.

Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solv is my new favourite cheat to mark designs on top of difficult fabrics. I have used it with denim, cotton and even felt and it has been perfect each time. It’s worth reading the instructions before you use this product. If you don’t want to use this product for your stitching, I have also completed a version just with free form lines drawn in pencil across the surface. See the other versions of my Biscornu in the photos as a visual guide.

To mark the Fabri-Solv, use a pencil and ruler to draw a grid of 10cm * 10cm squares, 5 mm apart on the fabric side of the product.

Cut out the grid. Remove the backing paper and lay the fabric grid on top of your pincushion top sticky side down.

You can still see through the Fabri-Solv to the fabric below. Where you have the spot on the fabric, mark a couple of rings on the surface to stitch as highlights. I used a 2 inch and 1.5 inch circle and offset them slightly. You could use jars, a compass, or anything round to draw the circles.

You are now ready for the stitching.

All of the stitching done on the surface of this pincushion is just completed in running stitch. It’s the easiest stitch to learn. Just google a quick picture of it if you are not sure how to do it!

To get that nice even design, I have worked up and down at the corners of each marked square over the surface of the grid – all in one direction and then the other way. I just had to make sure I worked out the parts of squares to leave when I was working around the circle. The pattern looks way harder to complete than it is. Just start at one corner of the panel and work one row at a time in the same direction and alternate you ups and tour downs each row.

After working all the rows in one direction, start from the other direction and repeat.

After completing the grid design in both directions in gold thread, I then worked running stitch rings onto the circle – one is white and the second in gold.

I have picture of the back of my stitching and as you can see it’s not at all neat. But then no-one will ever know!

Using running stitch, complete the little design on the rear of the pincushion in gold and white Sashiko thread.

You have now completed all the surface stitchery.

Now that the stitchery is complete wash out the Fabri-Solv following the manufacturers instructions in warm water.

Washing Boro stitchery is great because it makes the surface a little bit corrugated afterwards which feels lovely and textural. I washed the panel, using soap to make it extra clean because my fabric scraps were old, and then air dried the panel. I then ironed the dry panel. It comes up a treat!

Trim the washed and ironed top panel back to your pencil square.
Taking both prepared squares for the pincushion, mark half way points on each side of the square with a pencil (I just folded the fabric to do this). These marks are very useful in construction.

Finger press or use your iron to press 1cm seams under around the edge of both panels, following your pencil lines as guides.

Use eight pins to push through each panel at the half way points in each of the four sides, 1 cm in from the edges.

Now here’s the slightly tricky part. Line up the mid-point pin in one side of the top panel, with the outer edge corner of the bottom panel, both with seams folded in. Pin the join together. You will be off-setting one square from the other as you hand stitch around the edge of the pincushion. It looks hard, but once you start, so long as you follow your mid-points and your folded in corner pattern, the shape will naturally form.

Hand stitch the two layers together using a matching thread and use ladder stitch. Pin as you go and work one half side at a time.

Keep working all the way around seven of the eight half-sides of the pincushion, but pause there.

Using the filler, tightly fill the pincushion through the hole. I like to use a filling tool, but you can use an old paint brush or a chop stick with a notch in the top to help fill all the corners. Once the pincushion is nice and firm, pin and stitch closed the final side using ladder stitch.

Now enjoy your pincushion!