Strawberry Delight by Mary Jo Hiney

When we announced the release of Inspirations magazine issue #122, in reference to its theme Bright & Beautiful, we suggested that everyone can make their own determination as to which projects were bright and which were beautiful.

Today we’re featuring the piece Strawberry Delight by Mary Jo Hiney which would have to be a prime candidate to win the project most worthy of being both Bright AND Beautiful!

Now, before we get into the specifics of how these beauties have been created, there is a wow factor here we need to tell you about that may not be adequately conveyed through the photographs.

We’ll start small then go big. The scissor fob measures 4.5cm x 3.5cm wide (1 ¾” x 1 ⅜”) which makes it the exact, perfect size that you wish every strawberry in your punnet could be. 

Mary Jo Hiney has struck that perfect balance here between realism and practicality. It could easily be mistaken for a real strawberry but is equally an ideal accompaniment for any embroidery scissors without being too large and annoying, or two small and superfluous.

The pincushion, however, is a completely different story. This is an oversized bounty of joyous fruit coming in at 14.5cm x 8cm wide (5 ¾” x 3 ⅛”) that somehow brings an instant smile to your face.

Thanks to the sumptuous candy apple red velvet Mary Jo has used to shape the body of each berry, both look good enough to eat. Studded with sparkling glass beads to replicate the seeds, the lime green sepals are fashioned by cleverly folding a strip of organza for the pincushion and silk ribbon for the scissor fob. The stalks are formed with twisted cords.

Layers of sand and wool roving fill the large berry while emery powder and wool roving fill the small fob berry, perfect for keeping needles and pins bright and sharp.

All the step-by-step instructions you need to stitch, construct and fill both berries are included in issue #122 and this is the type of project that, once you’ve created a few for yourself, you’ll enjoy both the process and the end result so much, soon all your friends and family will be beneficiaries of your newfound passion for strawberries!

Thank you Mary Jo Hiney for creating such a deliciously delightful project.

We have all the materials you need to re-create this project yourself, from easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions to a Ready-to-Stitch kit with almost everything sourced for you. The only item the kit doesn’t include is the sand required for the pincushion filling, due to the expense to ship!

*Instructions – As this kit does not include instructions, for step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to Inspirations magazine issue 122 or the Strawberry Delight digital pattern, both purchased separately.