I have another of the Blackbird Designs Reward of Merit pincushions finished.  I'm pleased with how all of the colors look.  I'm not sure where the fabric or the trim came from, but it matched the aesthetic really well also.  I decided to put a few buttons on the side, the same as the picture that is online.  I did cut this out very close to the edge of stitching, and I really like how that looks, but it was something you have to be really careful with when completing the finishing.  I ironed a piece of very lightweight fusible interfacing on the stitching only.  This adds a little more thickness to it, and helps to stabilize it more.  I like trying to create balance between the amounts of fabrics around the stitching, and also with the trim.