12 Pincushions Worth Collecting for Your Sewing Projects
The tools we return to again and again have a blend of function and design that elevate them above the mundane. This perfectly describes a pincushion—simple, useful, and nearly unnoticeable, except when you use it. What is it? A pincushion is a tufted cushion that can be made from remnants of shirting fabric, felt, or ribbon, meant to safely store pins and needles for sewing. For their homespun charm, they are one of our favorite collectible items. Once you start looking at pincushions, you'll see them as original reflections of your own personality.
Among manufactured pincushions, the most charming ones include menageries of miniature animals—a bird, a bear, or (fittingly) a porcupine, could be saddled with a pillow for pins—and a wide assortment of doll-size metal shoes with cushion-filled insoles. The tomato and strawberry became the most widely copied subjects. Commonly sewn in red flannel, cotton, or velvet, the tomato has the usual stuffing of sawdust, wool, down, or bran; the berry is filled with emery, the fine, mineral abrasive that cleans and sharpens needles. Depending on your taste, collectors' differing standards may give you an advantage: Some seek out only never-been-pricked cushions, while others value the character that comes from use—a worn spot here, a cluster of pinholes there.
Today, artisans of all trades give them a reimagined vision and bespoke quality: a prickly cactus, a lidded jar, or even a wearable wristband that makes it as pretty as it as practical. Choose from our collection of the best one.
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