Pincushion
pin·cush·ion; pinˌko͝oSHən; noun – a small cushion into which pins are stuck for convenient storage.
So this is about as small as it gets. I love this little guy. I tuck it into my bag for travel to classes or handwork on the go. Pincushions have come a long way since the red tomato version that I remember sitting next to my mom’s Singer sewing machine in the 60’s.
Photo from Georgia’s Home Inspirations.
I got this idea a few weeks ago to do a story on quilter’s favorite pincushions. Would they match the quilters’ personality? We all have our personal favorite. That one that you grab first. The one that has been with you through your trials and tribulations of quilting. So I put the word out on Facebook, Instagram and in my drop-in class for everyone to share their favorite pincushions with me. I have collected quite an assortment to share with you!
The tomato pincushion will always be a classic among sewists. It just happens to have a bit more personality today.
Top left to right:
SHWS emeritus, Jennifer Rounds wrote about these lovely Heirloom Tomato Pincushions in a past blog post. Which, just happens to come with a free pattern on our Pattern Page.
Catherine Jarrett sports a green tomato in my drop-in class. I am pretty sure this one has helped with some show-stopping- quilts. If you are on Instagram, you can see one of Catherine’s quilts featured in a recent Quiltmania issue here.
Fern Royce, from Textile Mavens sent this snapshot to me. Love the colors and fabrics of this. It just reminds me of Fern and her wonderful quilts.
How about a colorful version, by none other than the talented longarmer, Kerry Reed? Check out some of her beautiful work on her facebook page here.
Some quilters get more excited about beverages than vegetables, (ahem – tea cups vs tomatoes, get it?).
Top left to right:
Pam Petsas brought this Victorian jewel to our Indie Modern Quilters meeting. Such a fashionista!
Kerry Reed, shared another pincushion that her sister gave to her 10 years ago. How many quilts do you think this lil’ teapot has seen quilted in it’s time? Oh, if only it could talk. . . .
Rosemary Patterson – OMG, if you know Rosemary, you know this is perfect for her – fun and full of spunk!
Kristen Takakawa, of The Needies has a pincushion made by her sister in law, using a sake cup as the base. Kristen says the weight of the cup always keeps it right where she wants it.
And then there is the “form follows function” category, still managing to slip in some creativity. Pincushions with storage – how smart is that?
Left to right:
The talented, Linda Harding keeps Frida close at hand for toting tiny tools.
And my friend, Chancy Fessler snapped a photo of the cushion of choice for Ben Venom while he taught a workshop at San Jose Quilt Museum.
My personal favorites, the wool versions. . .
Left to right:
Laura Nownes, of course with no less than a ladybug! This one is a real cutie!
Longtime friend of SHWS, Diana McClun has a wooly treasure. I love this one. Maybe because it is always out and in use in her studio when I visit.
Moving on to pieced with perfection . . .
Top left to right:
Kim Buteau, of Etsy’s Zombie and Posies totes this sweetheart to class with her. I challenge you to find anything else pink in her shop!
And for perfect points, we have Rita of Mochi Studios‘s little gem!
These last two were shared by my new Instagram buddy, Cyndi Murdoch of JackcynRedesign.com. She wrote a sweet post about A Quilting Afternoon, you might like to read.
Speaking of sweet. . .
Left to right:
Margaret Glendening of Etsy’s MGmade, uses a pincushion her daughter made in Kindergarten.
Art quilter, Pauline Pearsall has a lovely lace number to hold her pins. Check out one of Pauline’s amazing quilts at Pattsart.com
And we have to have an animal section, now don’t we?
Left to right:
This busy little turtle was found sitting on the worktable at Oakland’s A Verb for Keeping Warm. It was sitting right next to their new book!
And let’s end with Terri Carpenter of The Quilted Fox, who shared her adorable little mouse..
So after seeing all these creative pincushions, I noticed that I have quite an odd collection poking around my own sewing room.
I don’t even think the turtle was made for a pin cushion, but it works great for one! The red one holds my machine needles, when I am not quite ready to retire them.
Which reminds me of one of the first posts I wrote on SHWS, about Hari-Kuyo, a lovely Japanese ceremony for retiring old and broken sewing needles. It is such a lovely tradition. You can read about it
here.
To end this story, I am going to be quite honest. Usually when at home, I use my trusty metal bowl. I like that in a quilting frenzy, which I am often in, I can actually toss the pins and the magnet just pulls them on home. Second in command would be my beloved pincushion/threadcatcher I made a few years ago. These are definitely my tools of choice.
So how’s that for a pincushion extravaganza? I hope you enjoyed it. I know I totally enjoyed seeing how my friends express their personality this humble little tool. Want to share your favorite pincushion? Tag me on Facebook or Instagram and #favoritepincushion to be a part of the collection. I would love to keep it growing!
See you soon!
