I was born on the 13th,
a Sunday, under a full moon in Virgo.
a Sunday, under a full moon in Virgo.
The Virgin commands me
to ask uncomfortable questions.
Like why things have to be the way they are.
It goes a long way to explaining
why I wasn't popular in the family
and why I need to know about pincushions.
When a desire to make patchwork pincushions
overtook me, it was important to find out what went inside them.
Some old ones were filled with sawdust,
wood chips, and some kind of sand.
This is "emery sand" the kind that
nail files have on them, and fish tanks have.
It keeps your pins sharp.
A good pincushion is also filled
with sawdust and wool roving.
with sawdust and wool roving.
The abrasive action removed dirt and rust
and the wool's lanolin acted as a lubricant.
At a pinch you used to run the pin
through your hair
through your hair
so it picked up oils
from the scalp and smoothed into the fabric.
from the scalp and smoothed into the fabric.
Of course that was when natural scalp oil
was normal, and why we brushed our hair
100 times to work the shine down.
Shine didn't come in bottles then.
I put steel wool inside my pin cushions.
You want to stay sharp as a pin, you know.
Somewhere deep in our ancestral bones,
we know pins are special.
we know pins are special.
In the Tudor era, metal pins were expensive
and showing them off in an ornate pincushion
was like owning a Prada bag
or driving a flashy car.
or driving a flashy car.
The tomato shape
that is still seen had a double action;
that is still seen had a double action;
it attracted prosperity
while keeping evil spirits at bay.
while keeping evil spirits at bay.
I could eat up every one.
Guaranteed to keep your own spirits lifted.
Pin It
it's always a delight to visit you here, and this pin cushion essay had me pinned to every word, they are all absolutely fabulous and i agree, totally edible.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I love your patchwork pincushions......
ReplyDeleteThey remind me of a mushroom growing up out of the cup, or bread dough proving.
Mimi's pincushions are amazing, absolutely gorgeous.
A crafty girl can never have too many pincushions..
Claire :}
Oh gosh I am in pincushion heaven. All those lovely links and wonderful eye candy! I'd love one of those tiny worlds, they are just fantastic.
ReplyDeleteGosh!
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated about the sharpening pins idea
not to mention how very charming these delights are.Sewing seems rather difficult to me so glad others excellell at it.
Buster sends his love!
I love them too! You can also do a combination of batting and bird gravel (which you can buy in any grocery store on the pet aisle)which also helps keep pins sharp.
ReplyDeleteFlickr has a really nice pincusion group, which is chock full of eyecandy! :)
I loved the facts in this post, you have really fed my inner geek, thankyou. X
ReplyDeleteWow! - you learn something new everyday, I had no idea what was supposed to go inside pin cushions, I've always filled mine with fabric scraps. Thanks for the turorial links too.
ReplyDeleteWho the frick knew?!? Makes total sense however. And I have that same 'preciousness' feeling toward pins. I will pick them up and put them in a safe place. I don't have that same feeling toward bobby pins or safety pins however. Needles on the other hand? Totally save worthy. The pin cushion worlds rock mine. Thanks for sharing. As always, you dreamy girl, you!
ReplyDelete... gorgeous, you could eat those little ones couldn't you? Deelish?
ReplyDeletearggh! I just purchased Mimi's pincushion tutorial thingy! As if my hat obsession wasn't enough! I cannot resist those tiny scenes.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to make a tiny chook house pincushion and send it to you!
The little world pincushions...some things make me impossibly happy. I grew up with the manufactured tomato pincushions with the felt leaves/step and an attached strawberry(?) that was filled with emery for sharpening. I still have a foolish affection for those. Never too much pincushion lore. xo
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely. I think it's good to remind ourselves how precious pins and needles have been in the past.
ReplyDeleteA passage in an Arkansas history book says that under the blockade in the Civil War, "...needles were scarce and a woman who had all the numbers was to be envied and was often called upon to loan. If a needle was misplaced the whole family joined in to search for it..."
Keeping them in special,lovely pincushions is one way to honor that history.
Gorgeous pin cushions, I've learnt a lot! Thanks for the comment on my blog good ideas...x
ReplyDeletewho on earth would have thought practical pincushions could be so beautiful? i only have one, since i don't really sew. it's a chinese one with little dolls around the circle. you know the one i mean? commercial as anything but i love it :)
ReplyDeletehope you're feeling better x
Pin cushions stuffed with steel wool.....Ingenius!They are all beautiful and
ReplyDeleteyour photos are superb Grrl, including your header.
Sooooo cute. Love it. Here's to all those pin pricks!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous Porgeous.
ReplyDeleteLoani
Divine little pin cushions, they all have such personalities, I love seeing them in the cups, they really look like cup cakes.
ReplyDeleteshould we be sharpening modern, stainless steel pins? Or just our vintage ones? I have both... And don't think that the modern one should be sharpened.... And my vintage pins will get rusty if I don't use them and keep my greasy fingers on them. ... Might actually try the hair thing, but not sure if I should Share that publicly, lol.
ReplyDeleteLove the teacup pincushions. My group may have a go at making these so I may come back for advice down the track. Love the linked sites too --- all very inspiring. My great aunt many years ago (she died in 1974) made one that looked like a Boudoir Chair from a little tin can.
ReplyDelete(Came here from Steph's Magpie Nest)
OhmyheaventyChristmas!
ReplyDeleteSometimes that's all that can be said. It's all too...
Also, that born on the 13th in Virgo... that's just a little close to be a coincidence. Now, given that I was born on the 15th at 1135pm, does that mean I'm really 3 days later than you? You're already one day ahead. Of course, I'm years older, but I may actually grow my teeth back some day and find that one eye.
My head's on crooked. But your cushions ain't!
xo
C
Ah, thanks for this. What wonders these little pincushion worlds are!
ReplyDeleteWow, I never really thought about pin cushions much, except for the one I have from Scotland that belonged to my grandmother. It is a beautiful heart made from an old tartan fabric, and stuck in it are some of her beautiful old hat pins.
ReplyDeleteOh my word! You and Mimi Kirchner on the same page, heavenly! Thanks for the lovely post, I adore pincushions and these are simply gorgeous...have a wonderful week! Angela
ReplyDeletejust gorgeous grrl....love the history of all this :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDenise - Denise, Denise! I'm making tiny houses. I'm not a sewer. I had to find my embroidery floss in the basement. I brought up something mildewy with it. Now I'm coughing. I've made one wee house and am just starting another. My felted balls are drying in their teacups. I don't have a dryer. oh god denise I have a lot to do and I can't stop making tiny worlds. the pdf is great but hellllllup. good thing you don't live here or I'd be in trouble all the time...
ReplyDelete