free instructions for baby shoe pincushion

These are real baby (cloth upper) shoes/socks that I made into pin cushions. 

~~  Instructions  ~~

1.  Fill a baby sock (should be several sizes smaller than outside decorative one) with very fine clean sand about 1/2 of the sock.  Don't stretch out sock by packing too tightly
2. Pull your decorative sock over the inside sock
3. Push the socks down into the toe of the shoe.  Continue to fill only up to side of shoe or foot part with sand.
4. Fill the ankle part of shoe with wool batting after putting a few drops of scented oil and mixing in. You can use batting but, wool helps make pins easier to poke into fabric.
5. Seal the inside sock after you've filled with wool just to top of "ankle".  Try not to make a lump of gathered sock at the top when sewing shut the top.
6. Take another sock (preferably a good color to match the decorative sock as it will show) and cut the small of the heel off.  Lay this piece on top of the sewn inside sock and tuck into the sides of the outer sock.  Sew in so that stitch don't show. 
7. Add little bows and ribbons to enhance.

      I purchased the above baby shoes at Wal-mart.  You could probably find some at second hand stores.  I did find, however, that it was important to use cloth shoes.  The all vinyl or leather ones didn't seem to work as well for pins; or for stretching the sand down into the toe of the shoe.  Also, in my opinion, the outer sock is almost as important as the shoe because they add more whimsy to the shoe. 

     If you have made these or made some similar, please write in the "comments" section of this blog.  I would love to hear other ideas!