Teapot Pin Cushion

 One of my goals this year is to use the things I have and find new ways to use different things. So in this installment of things that don't belong in the craft room that are great for the craft room, I have this little teapot. My daughter found this for me at a local thrift store.

I love to drink tea, but I was a little worried that wasn't food safe.  Some of the  gold is rubbing off and it's got a little chip on the spout. But it's pretty and very sweet. Here's the back.

The teapot has been sitting in my office and I haven't really known what to do with it.  Until I saw something that gave me an idea on how I can use it in my sewing room. My cat loves to pull needles out of pin cushions.  She loves grabbing the ends and dropping them on the floor, which can be dangerous for both her and me.  I am constantly having to take my pin cushion and put it away in a place she can't reach.

To solve the problem of my cat and the unused teapot,  I stuffed one of those little tomato pin cushions into the lid and filled with my pins and my needles.  Now I can have my pin cushion available  and then when I don't need it,  it can go inside the little teapot and Dolly can't get to the pins.

For my teapot, I was able to just stuff the pin cushion into the top, but you can also glue it if it doesn't fit as snugly as mine.

I also  use the teapot to put all my little fabric crumbs as I'm trimming.  Fabric crumbs are all those teeny, tiny little pieces that I trim while I'm quilting that aren't big enough to save as scraps.  Instead of throwing them away, I throw them in the teapot to save them for my friend who uses them for the inside of catnip pillows that she makes for a local cat shelter.

So now I have a cool place to keep my crumbs and toss them while I'm sewing, and I have my pin cushion  that can be hidden from the cat.  So, this is my cat supporting and cat friendly teapot.  If you have any  cool little teapots, maybe you can make your own little teapot pin cushion.