I put her to good use yesterday, as I dug into a sewing project.
At one point, I had my mouth absolutely stuffed full of pins, had my foot on the treadle with machine needle whirring, and had to intervene in a small kid argument (yes, they DO squabble, despite their angelic faces). I thought I was going to choke on a pin.
And I suddenly had a flashback of my Mama, with a mouth full of pins, scolding us kids for some infraction, and barely being able to understand a word of what she said. But the emotion conveyed was crystal clear, and we knew we were in trouble if we didn't stopitrightnow!
I wonder how many of my grandmothers and great-grandmothers were caught with a mouth full of pins when they had children to scold.
My working pincushion isn't anything fancy. Its a somewhat vintage tomato that had lost its strawberry. I long ago replaced the strawberry with one of my own making and attached the pair to a wooden base, adding a fringe of linen scrap for decoration.
The amazingly tiny sampler scissor fob was stitched by Patti. I kept losing it (and the attached scissors), so I hung it from the cushion, where it now lives in plain sight so that I can enjoy it and have a place for keeping my working needles separate from the pins.
The giant needle was my Grandmother's. I have no idea what project she used it for, but I find it handy for keeping scissors corralled.
And a little present for you... this final picture has been especially sized to use as wallpaper on a widescreen monitor. It is free for your personal use. Simply click to enlarge, then save to your computer & enjoy!
And by all means, I REALLY LOVE TO READ YOUR COMMENTS... if you have a mouth-full-of-pins or pin cushion story to share, I would love to hear it.
13 comments:
fun post, Beth! And you made me laugh at the mental picture of my mouth full of pins and scolding you 'kids'. I remember some of those times too! (and fortunately I never swallowed a pin, though I came close to that a time or two :^)
I love the tour of your pincushion. And your photo is now my desktop background. thanks
This photo will be my wallpaper. Thanks for sharing. My mom, grandmother and I all have/had pin cushions like this and I have hat pins and other items that came from other loved ones. Thanks for the memories.
Cindy
Oh my word, what a gorgeous pincushion! Just love it. Thank you for the photos...off to save for my desktop!
xoxo
I love your pin cushion. It is very artsy photogenic, but also looks well used and adored! Thanks for sharing!
Your pincushion brought back memories of a time when women did sew and do all manner of domestic things.......oh it was soooo lovely. Thank you for reminding me.
Howdy Beth,
The extra large needle was often used to tie quilts together at those great church quilting bees. I have several from my Grandma and still use them today.
Lovely post...nothing like a favorite pin cushion! I too had a "mouth full" of pins while sewing today.
I collect pin cushions, and yours is a sign of a working pin cushion!!! Looks like my moms, it had so many pins and needles, intertwined with thread, I don't think you could get a needle in or out anymore, lol, have a good day, Linda
I LOVE your tomato pin cushion! It's loaded with fun things and it's just perfect!!! I collect vintage tomatoes and keep them in an old pickle jar. I might have to pull one out and use it like you are. I love the giant needle to hold your scissors and the other stitched fob for your embroidery needles. Very clever and your pics are beautiful. Great post!
Oh, and my mom used to yell at us with a mouthfull of pins, too!
loved the story. I have a pincushion that is dear to my heart too. What memories. I love to see that you are using yours too. I hate not using my treausres.
Love your pincushion and love the post! I think it is just perfect how you took your vintage tomato and made it your own ~ the base and lace are perfect! And your grandma's needle - how cool! So glad that you are using your little sampler fob for your needles ~ I feel like it has a place of honor ~ thank you :)
I'm glad that I'm not the only one yelling with a mouthful of pins!
Blessings, Patti
i love pin cushions which i collect and also make. i have three that i use daily. one is a huge one that i made and it sits on my craft table. the second one a friend made for me its a cupcake and it sits next to my sewing machine. and then i have a smaller one which i cross stitched on and it is square and sits next to my stitching chair in the living room. i have a big needle like yours and i use it to help when i make stuffed dolls, it is very uesfull to pull thru a big doll body or head since it is so long never gets lost in the stuffed toy. i love my old pin cushions and i can remember my aunt who loved to sew with her red pin cushion sitting by her machine and she seemed to always have a pin or two in her mouth.
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