Pincushions

I was picking up yesterday and kept running across pincushions.  I love pincushions!  I decided to put them all in one place to see what I had, two of them are missing.  They are with some project and I will come across them eventually.  Here is the group.

These are my store bought tomato pincushions.  The pink holds little and fancy straight pins.  The yellow holds different size sewing machine needles that have not been used 10 times for embroidery projects or for 6 hours of machine sewing.  (After that I replace them.)  The little red one holds different size hand sewing needles.  I have tried to label it but I keep getting them mixed up.

The one on the left belonged to Mom.  When she was a nursing student, a nurse crocheted it for her.  She made me, my sisters and her sisters each one.  She used the pincushion for the pattern.  Hers is well worn and well loved.  I remember as a kid rearranging the straight pins into certain patterns or pin top color groupings.  I use mine to keep my nursing school pins, the first pin from my husband and the two pins that I would use on my neck stock when showing or fox hunting (oh so long ago).

My mother volunteered at Hancock Shaker Village in the gift shop.  She also made Shaker pincushions to sell there.  She did not accept any money for them, it was her gift to the village.  She made all three of these.  The grey velvet one is one of her first.  It is stuffed with sheep wool as that is what the Shakers originally used.  The one on the Shaker Pincushion stand was a gift to me from her.  She made the pincushion and put together the stand.  The blue one was hers and she put the pin on it.  I have left it there.  One that I don't have to show is one that she made as a rattle.  It has a bell deep in the center of it that makes a great noise.  Sweet Thing #3 has it, the first of her pincushion collection.

The little one on the left was embroidered for me by Sweet Thing #3, a Christmas gift two years ago.  The two log cabin block pincushions are from a bunch that I made two Christmas' ago and gave away.  These are the two that I kept.  They are filled with ground walnut shells.  The little blue one in the basket is another that came from my Mother.

 

These are my two magnetic ones.  I guess I have to call them a pin holder since I cannot push a pin into them.  They each hold a different size quilting/sewing straight pin.  The black one is wonderful to use to pick up dropped pins from the floor.  They just zip onto it so quickly.

 

I love pincushions, love using them and love making them.  Have a grand day and thanks for visiting.