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by Lesley Storts

Tag Archives: Anna Maria Horner


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Salt Cellar Pincushion Videos and Tutorials

I recently created a small batch of five salt cellar pincushions from the glass I rediscovered in my stash. When making these videos, I had to troubleshoot three different issues that I have become accustomed to when making pincushions and I wanted to share my process. The first video, Salt Cellar Pincushions – Batch of 5 – Made from Glass Stash (first link below), has an introduction and only shows a quick make of all of the pincushions. The other three videos with their specific topics are listed below:
—Square Jadeite Salt Cellar Pincushion (second link below) – shows how to make a pincushion in a square vessel.
—Brown Glass Owl Pincushion (third link below) – changing fabric mid-make.
—White Milk Glass Hen on a Nest Salt Cellar Pincushion (fourth link below) – creating a pincushion in a shallow and oval vessel.

You can access each video below:

Batch of 5 pincushions
Square Jadeite Salt Cellar Pincushion – shows how to make a pincushion in a square vessel
Brown Glass Owl Pincushion – changing fabric mid-make.
White Milk Glass Hen on a Nest Salt Cellar Pincushion – creating a pincushion in a shallow vessel

Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎


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Anna Maria Horner Fabric Asymmetrical Irish Chain Quilt

I joined an Anna Maria Horner (AMH) sew along (SAL) in 2017 hosted by Isabel Kelly (IG @lambandwolfie). I was so excited and inspired because the SAL gave me a chance to fussy cut and highlight specific elements in AMH prints. I finally had the top quilted in the fall of 2023.

You can see in the whole quilt that these little snapshots of prints were arranged within an asymmetrical Irish Chain pattern.

I’ve been looking at this quilt for weeks now that it is on the wall. At the time I made the quilt, I used almost every print of AMH fabric I had on hand. The layout provided 14 spaces for prints to fussy cut. The limitation of fabric on hand is the reason the Irish Chain is open on the bottom. If you look at it long enough, you can see that there is a rectangle on point but not completed at the bottom. I’ve asked myself if I like this quilt. I like the symmetry of quilts – rows and columns. There is symmetry but not completely. I do like this quilt and here are the reasons:
–I adore AMH prints and her art on fabric
–The colors are intense and saturated
–By arranging the quilt in a rainbow, there’s a sense of order
–The white chain popping against the color
This quilt reminds me of a photo or drawing that is intentionally cropped. It would be interesting to see it larger and see the symmetrical pattern appear. Maybe I need to make another one – even larger! I will add it to my wish list.

Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎


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Anna Maria Horner & Imperial Glass Vase Pincushion

Imperial Glass vase with Brave fabric by Anna Maria Horner

This pincushion was so fun to make. The opening at the top of the vase measures 2½ inches in diameter which provides up a lot of possibilities for fussy cutting. If you watch the YouTube video you will see me explain a little of the process I use when auditioning fabric. At the end, I combine several crystal and glass beads to make the matching pins.

If you want to read more about the Imperial Glass vase, this blog post has more information.

Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎


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A Loft, A Bentwood Chair & Anna Maria Horner Fabric

In March, my husband and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Exciting! Well, yes, but it was our second move in 10 months – pass a pillow, I need a nap. We made a quick trip to Charlotte in February and were able to secure a loft to rent. Loft living is challenging and exciting. I started researching, which means looking at A LOT of pictures on the internet as well as reading tips for decorating. We had basics such as a sofa, chairs, table & chairs, bed, etc., which work well, but this space requires thought and patience. There are numerous consignment, antique, and thrift stores in Charlotte. On a recent trip to the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, I found a bentwood cane back chair. The chair had some scratches, but the caning was intact. Additionally, the chair felt very study while being light and easy to handle. The thought of being able to recover the seat and personalize the chair for our space turned out to be my true motivator for the purchase.

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Anna Maria Horner + Amber Lace Indiana Glass

A few months ago I made a quick stop after work at the Volunteers of America Thrift Store in Pickerington, Ohio. I found many pieces of glass that day including this one…

It can be challenging to make deep dish pincushions so I left this piece at the store. Fast forward one week later at a different thrift store and I found…

In my years of glass hunting, this is the first time I remember finding this Indiana lace glass and then finding it twice in a short period of time! The red one was half the price so I figured I would take a chance on it and see if I could make a pincushion out of it. Upon closer inspection of the glass, I noticed that the red coloring was peeling off in various places and I remembered the other one I found was amber. I decided to see if I could clean off the red film.

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»Collecting Buttons«

Buttons. A necessary sewing and clothing accessory but probably not something most people think about. As a quilter, I rarely made anything with buttons prior to making pincushions. Once Lucy and I started making pincushions, we became very interested in buttons. We have built our button stash buying at big box craft and sewing stores, antiquing, thrifting, garage sales, and eBay.

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»A Study In Focus«

IMG_8835Saltcellar Pincushion made with Carolyn Friedlander’s Dentals in Green.

It has been almost a year since I began hunting for saltcellars and making pincushions. Lucy, one of my daughters, has been instrumental in helping perfect this little pieces of art. And as we have learned and grown in making these, an interesting thing has happened- I have come to appreciate fabric and the patterns in a different way. There is a  need to focus on small areas and what they have to offer in a saltcellar. The diameter of most saltcellars we use is about 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 inches. Some of the dishes are a little bigger, but generally they are small. This means that we have to maximize where we cut.

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I love the color green and adore this fabric by Anna Maria Horner called Minutes in Glen. I was excited to use it in a pincushion and took special care to cut it so that I was able show an interesting part of the fabric.

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Another beautiful and interesting fabric we’ve used is Tula Pink’s Bats in the Belfry in Plum. Depending on what you wanted to highlight with this fabric would depend on where you cut for the pincushion. This fabric offers many choices that would work well. Lucy made this pincushion and wanted to make sure to include blue so that it stood out.

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I love quilt making and will continue making quilts. I do appreciate though, the opportunity to look at fabric in a different way and that has come through making pincushions.

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Happy Crafting and Quilting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎

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