The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Access All Accessories => Topic started by: Button Nose on May 05, 2020, 14:04:12 PM
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I wasn't sure which section to put this in so hope this is okay :)
I've heard of filling pincushions with sand or sheep's wool. Has anyone tried anything like that? Did your pins prefer it to normal stuffing?
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Sand will keep the pins sharp, but I don't think the sewing police will come knocking if you decide on something else. There are lots of ideas online for making pincushions.
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I remember being told that years ago (19th c ?) pincushions used to be filled with dried coffee grounds.
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I use ground walnut that I buy from the pet store.
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Yes.. ground walnut shells.
https://www.sewhot.co.uk/product/ground-walnut-shells-with-lavender/
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Anything except polyester fiberfill or batting/wadding. Polyester dulls pins just like it does scissors.
Sharp sand keeps them sharp, wool, natural so it still has lanolin keeps them lubricated and rust free. Steel wool popular as it also sharpens but rusting can be an issue where you have dampness, i.e. much of the UK. ;) Fine where I am.
When I've taught pincushion classes- yes, there is such a thing- I did a combination of cotton quilt batting and crushed walnut shells. I sort of line the cushion with the batting and put the shells in a little muslin pouch. Stuff with extra batting torn up.
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Interesting, thank you. Why walnut shells rather than other nuts shells, do you know?
I would love to go to a pincushion class! <3
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They are probably easier to grind up - almonds would be too soft, brazils and hazlenuts too hard. I think ground walnut shells are (or were) used in cosmetics because they can be ground to a very fine powder.
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I made a small pincushion and filled it with Ground Emery powder which I bought on line. It sharpens any pins or needles and removes little burrs from the points.
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So much to choose from :)
Thank you, Greybird :)
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Ground walnut shells are hard, fairly non porous and are used as reptile bedding so easy to get, inexpensive and heavy so they give the pincushion a nice heft. Personally I wash them first. Sometimes there's a lot of dust on them. Rinse them in a bowl, drain the excess water with a fine sieve then spread thinly on an edged baking sheet. Pop into a very low oven until completely dry.
You can mix some lavender in with it if you like. Like a tablespoon or two to a cup of walnut shells.
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That's very useful, thank you :)
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I got the walnut shells with lavender and made this pincushion which I was wanting to have a go at. It's a bit big but good and sturdy :)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50107081298_d345b98d1d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jkMTyN)
I had enough filling left over to do a little one, that's not as full so I have to be gentle when putting the pins in.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50107089423_bc5ef00305_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jkMVYT)
My pins have never been happier 0_0 , thank you for the advice :thumbsup:
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They look great...
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Where did you get the shells from please?
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If I ever make them I grab some wool off a friend with shepp and make a little layer of it under the fabric so my pins get coated in a little lanolin before they go into the main part of the pincushion. Usually sand in my case, in a little fabric baggy. So sand baggy gets wrapped in wool then cover placed on.
I don't really have any pincushions these days. Though I do have tny dragon pattern weights, mostly made out of tweed and with a mix of batting (for head and tail etc) and steel balls. I made a couple of doorstops in a similar way by making the pattern bigger with a few amendments.
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Where did you get the shells from please?
From Amazon, and it came from America. I tried the place Efemera linked to but they were out of stock and I was impatient :|