Flower Bed Pin Cushion with Numbered Flower Q-Pins

I'd been wanting some of those Numbered Q-Pins, but couldn't swallow the price, so I got the bright idea to make my own version!

My first attempt was take some polymer clay and form heads on glass pins for marking the numbers.

But, they were clunky, and I just didn't like the look of them - they certainly didn't enhance the beauty of my  special pin cushion!

Then, I realized I could simply take a fine-tip Sharpie marker and write the numbers on  Flat Flower Head Pins.  (Wish I had thought of that simple solution first!)  The surface has just enough texture that the marker doesn't rub off.  Hooray!  So, now I needed the perfect pin cushion for holding the pins in numerical order.

I stitched this cushion of out my teeniest 30's scraps.  (Stitching this hexie pin cushion gave me the courage to create a version perfectly suited for my pins.)  The blocks finish at 1" square, so the cushion measures 2 x 7" and is 1" high.  The 14 blocks easily hold 2 pins each, so I marked numbers on 28 pins.  I can't imagine doing a quilt with more than 28 columns or rows, so these should be more than adequate.

Here's a view of the back.

Don't the pins look happy in their very own flower bed?  :)

The buttons help the cushion keep its shape and makes it nice and firm.  I used walnut shells for the filling again - love using them in pin cushions; they add the perfect weight!

And, I love that both sets of buttons came from my vintage button collection.

:)

PS - Those Numbered Q-Pins would have been a bargain compared to everything I invested in this cushion and pins, but I think the final results are worth it!  

Believe me, there were a number of other attempts before I arrived at this version, including purchases of glue, beads, etc., etc.  My original intent was to recreate these pins (aren't they great!), but I couldn't find any numbered beads at A.C. Moore or Michaels or even on line (really?!!).  So, I tried making my own number beads, but the numbers kept rubbing off the beads I was using.  And, it was a mess trying to glue the bead on the pin without getting glue all over the pin.  

So, can you understand why my very own Flower Bed Pin Cushion and Numbered Flower Q-Pins make me quite happy?!