Magnetic Pin Jar

Good morning and Happy Thursday! That means it's almost Friday. We're going on a little adventure this weekend, so I'm really excited for the week to come to a close. Today, I have a really simple project for you. I think it seriously took me 10 minutes.

My Inspiration

Source: momtastic.com via Erin on Pinterest

I've been seeing jars like the one above all over the place. Some are used as a "mini sewing kit" and others are used to hold those pesky straight pins.
I don't know about you, but I tend to get them all over the place when I'm sewing. I've got a little guy who doesn't always like to wear shoes (not to mention that I don't really like wearing them either), so straight pins on the floor is a recipe for disaster. I wanted something that would  help me keep those little pins in one place. 
I had it on my list to make a pin cushion like the one above, but I was going to use the jar to hold the pins rather than make a mini sewing kit. But then it hit me! I had seen another post here for a magnetic pin dish. How great would it be to combine the two? So I grabbed a few things, and came up with the magnetic pin jar.

It works great! There's a place to hold all those pins, and the top is magnetic. So while you're sewing, you can just set the pins on the lid and they won't slip off! 
Want to make your own? Here's what you'll need: 

A scrap of fabric

 Straight pins 

A small jarA strong magnet or a few regular magnetsGlue (I used my hot glue gun)Scissors
Sorry, I don't have pictures to go along with the directions. I made it so quickly that I didn't think to take any! It's pretty easy, though, so I think you can probably follow along.
Step 1: Cut your fabric so that it will cover your jar lid. At first I was going to tuck mine under the lid but I ended up just letting it hang down (I wasn't sure if it would hinder the lid from screwing onto the jar). If your fabric will fray easily, you may want to zig zag the edges before proceeding to the next step.
Step 2: Glue your fabric onto the lid. I glued my fabric onto the sides of the lid.
Step 3: Attach your magnet(s) If you're just using one strong magnet, you probably don't need to glue it. I didn't glue mine. If you're using a few regular magnets, you may want to fasten them with hot glue, so they don't push each other around.
Step 4: Add your straight pins! 

If you used a strong magnet, be aware that the pins are probably going to be attracted to the magnet in the jar. You can see my pins stuck to the magnet on the underside of the jar. I imagine this may probably happen with regular magnets too, but probably not as easily. I you don't want them to do this you may try a taller jar, so there's more space in between the magnet(s) and the pins.

It's been very handy, and I haven't been finding pins laying around. A very good thing. :-)

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