*NEW* Le Meow (a Faithfully Reproduced Antique Pincushion)

When I spotted this old cross-stitched kitty pin cushion in the etsy shop of a French antique dealer, there was no way I could resist. Most likely dating to the middle or later decades of the 1800’s, it is perfectly square with the best dirty colors. Quite heavy and firm for its size, I’m guessing by feel that if I were to open it up, I would find it filled with squares cut from an old boiled wool blanket. The back is covered with black linen, and the sides are black velvet. In sourcing materials to make the model, I tried to be as true to the original as possible.

I can’t glean much else from this old piece, but can tell you that I enjoyed every second of reproducing it for you. I hope that you have fun with this project too.

I will make a limited number of kits available for sale in my etsy shop or directly from me. The kits will include army blanket wool for filling, the ribbon for the outer edge, and black linen for backing. I’ll keep them available as long as there is interest and I can continue to find the materials.

I did not specify a particular linen on the materials list because it won’t matter what color it is by the time you’re finished. If you want it to be the same size as the original, you will want to stitch with two threads over three on 40 count linen.

Stitch Count: 36 x 34
Model stitched with 2 threads over 3 On 40 count linen.

Using flosses from The Gentle Art: 0511 Country Redwood, 7042 Raven, 7044 Dungarees, 7079 Heirloom Gold, 7080 Endive

Recommended Additional Materials:
1 small piece of black linen for backing
1 foot of velvet ribbon for edging
Six 3 inch squares of boiled or felted wool for filling

This design is now available in my etsy shop, and will be going out to my distributors and the shops on my automatic shipments list soon. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com