The Sewing Place
Tools of the Trade => The Haberdashery => Topic started by: sewingj on December 12, 2018, 15:46:41 PM
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I have a rather glamorous friend who is going to be 60 next month. She does sew but hasn`t updated her "kit" for years. I am going to get her a few things and wanted to find a nice, possibly quirky, pin cushion.
Any ideas? Please don`t suggest I make one - I just haven`t got the time at the moment.
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Beyond Measure have a variety of pin cushions (https://shopbeyondmeasure.co.uk/collections/pincushions), some of which I'm sure could be classed as quirky.
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I’ve made these this year... you could easily make one
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I’ve just come home from our quilt group Christmas lunch and our tutor made us all pincushions in a small cup. She had spent all year collecting the cups.
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I bought a small ceramic turtle planter a few years ago intending to make a pin cushion and give as a gift. Instead I grabbed a wad of stuffing and placed a pretty piece of jacquard linen around it and stuffed it into the planter - and now its MY pincushion!
If I were looking for something special to buy, I'd search Etsy.
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I’ve made these this year... you could easily make one
I don` t think I could! But they are fab.
I do like the idea of making a pin cushion in a tea cup though and have found a good Debbie Shore video. We`ve got a good antique shop nearby which has lots of vintage china and I`m sure I`ve got fabric in my stash that I could use.
Many thanks for the ideas
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I made this one
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I'd take a look at Lacis.com. I have no idea what the shipping is but they have several antique style pin cushions as well as quirky ones. And needle holders as well.
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I find a lot of the commercially available pincushions are too soft. I have one I bought from a lady who used to do antique fairs and sold pincushions covered in vintage fabrics (I haven't seen her though for some years). It is filled with sawdust I think and is very firm. Unfortunately the covering is now in shreds and as I can't find one to replace it I think I have to have a go at recovering it. Sorry @sewingj - this doesn't help you at all!
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I have the apple pin cushion shown below. You can buy it online (https://www.libertylondon.com/uk/apple-patchwork-pin-cushion-394213.html) from Liberty's and John Lewis stock their pear version which is cheaper presumably because it isn't patchwork so is quicker to make.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4805/31473100127_1425bcf50d_n.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PXaSan)
Mine's had 4½ years of heavy use and is still lovely and firm. If, like me, you're a little OCD about your pins it's lovely to separate the different types between the different sections.
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And it depends on what I need the pin cushion for, as to what I use.
I personally use a Bohin wrist cushion when I work. Because so much of what I do is alterations, it's easier to use although they do look cool for that kind of thing.
At home I have an antique sewing box with a velvet pin cushion on top, probably made in the 1910s or 20s, meant as a young girl's sewing kit. I keep my non-Iris pins in it. I should recover the cushion, since the velvet is shot though. I also have a sewing bird with one that is out most of the time.
I also have a chatelaine, mix of antique and new repros I wear and use when I am sewing by hand or doing detail work that has a book style cushion on it. I also have a dance card pencil on a retractable chain that I have rigged with a brooch to add a mini tape measure (for fishing of all things) and another small pincushion to it that I made. Both of these get used only when I sew to hold the needles I am sewing with. I don't wear them at the same time, though.
Which...I make small ones for no reason since I really don't use them. Mostly I find pictures of antique ones and recreate them. And I stuff them with hair...both my daughter and I have long hair and shed like dogs. I've donated a few to the museum here since they are exact replicas for the odd exhibit of stuff. Some are more quirky ones...just something to do sitting around at home.
Mostly I am big on needle holders. My daughter got me a religious metal one to wear on a chain for Christmas, which is much prettier and secure then the DMC version. And I wear one all the time sewing, be it on a chain or on my chatelaine.
There are a number of things you can do for pins, and they don't all have to be cushions.
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I am not sure which of those I am most envious of, possibly the chatelaine or the sewing bird.
Where do you find these things?
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For the most part Lacis.
I got the Mary Frances second quality bird several years ago, and wasn't worried about the plating being off because I use it. I paid £15 for it, so it's not expensive.
I assembled the chatelaine myself, I didn't buy it. I have 10 tools on it, and could not find what I wanted so I went and assembled my own. I also didn't decide I wanted one one day and had it the next...it took the better part of a year to find all the tools and findings for it I could afford. All total, I spent about £100 on it.
Most of the chatelaine tools came from there. Because I wanted a working one I didn't go overboard. I got the fancier versions for myself, and I think the most I paid for the tools were $12 from there. The clasp was an old chatelaine base I got on Etsy the seller didn't know what it was, and has a pocket for a hankerchief. It was sold as a metal wall pocket...the back has a pin and belt clip and a part on the middle that I can tuck small things into. Right now I have a knock off Turnbridge needle book in the pocket. The antique tools were a cross of junk shops, ebay and flea markets. I bought the chains from China, and because I wanted to use the tools, have opening lobster clasps to do so.
The smaller one I got the dance card pencil on some website where you sell your things. With shipping it was under £5. The tape measure came from Bass pro shop. It was £5, but rang up wrong at the register so I wound up getting it for free. It really is meant to measure fish and looks like a fly fishing wheel in gold tone. Biggest problem is it only goes to 39". The pin cushion is just a small piece of silk I had made into a ball and attached to a fancy bead cap and beading to make it fancy, and added an old broken anklet chain to it to make it usable for me.
Amazon (https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/white-river-fly-shop-reel-tape-measure?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&affcode_c=&gclid=CjwKCAiA3vfgBRB9EiwAkfpd3O11zW5WH3a526NerXItnz8J9tpK-_Dd_LhZx92CiI8ql9zq3segRhoCjtMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) is the measuring tape. Only thing I think you can't really picture.
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Thank you @Kwaaked
What a fascinating project.
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Following one or two comments about pin cushions in tea cups this is what I have ended up with:
(I used the Debbie Shore tutorial which recommends stuffing the toe-end of a pop sock first to get the right size and shape before putting on the fabric and this worked really well)
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That's lovely, @sewingj . I have a friend who would love that. Her birthday isn't until September. -<
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That's how I do them :)
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I thought you might like to see what my brother bought me for my birthday. It's Victorian Tunbridgeware and I'm so pleased with it!
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Oh my gosh, that is awesome @Greybird. And those boxes are so useful.
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@Greybird - Wow that`s beautiful. Why doesn`t my brother do things like that?!