Honest Wear & Pincushions

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you probably know that I have a penchant for old things that show lots of wear from love and use. You may also know that I have a thing for pincushions.

I wouldn't call myself a collector, per se, since I don't avidly go out hunting for pincushions, and I don't spend much time, if any, on a monthly basis, browsing for them online or at antique malls.

I do, however, have this sensor back behind my left elbow that goes off anytime an old pin cushion is near, signaling a radar in my brain, which then turns my feet and moves them in the correct direction. It is a completely involuntary, and sometimes shocking process that I have experienced quite a few times.

Recently, on a very *rare* perusal of ebay (rare because the ebay machine hates me, and I get tired of being treated so poorly when I decide to nibble at an auction. Hopes... dashed! too. many. times.), I stumbled across this title :

"Vtg Antique LEATHER make-do PIN Cushion SHOE"

Okay... many old leather baby shoes have been turned into reproduction pincushion make-dos, and although they are usually sweet, I just personally don't get it. Not much appeal to the old elbow sensor.

Then I read the description:

"Approx 4 1/4 inches tall
A kids shoe that was turned into a pin cushion somewhere along the way
Has lots of wear but is still very charming"

Right. Short description. Not much detail. And a really lousy photo:

But the more I looked at that photo, the more intrigued I became, and grew convinced that this was indeed the real thing. A truly honest-to-goodness old-as-the-hills genuine original leather baby shoe - turned - pin keep.

I waited until the last few minutes of the auction.

I placed a low bid.

I won!

And yesterday when it arrived in the mail, I carefully unwrapped its newspaper covering to find that it is so. much. better. than my imagination built it up to be.

Love it when that happens.