I have seen these at shows but can't find a pattern anywhere....are they just doing their own thing or is there a pattern available

Crabaple hill has them (I thnk) SS I was wrong.... I will see if I can locate one for you. Here is what google had in thier image search ...

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=...hions&aq=f&oq=

saw lots but no patterns...thanks, I really like them

I looked at the site, apart from the ones with obvious segments in them, I think they are just gathered circles. So decide what size you want, take a tape measure and hold it roughly the size, and look at the measurement . That would be the diameter of the circle you need to cut out, but don't forget to add on say another half inch. Rung a strong gather thread around the outside edge, and then fill after pulling up the gathers about half way. Ball everything up in your hand to firm up the filling, then pull the gathers closed and bind off. I hope that makes sense. If you go back to the site, the red cushion on the top row clearly shows some gathers. How you would then add this cushion to the 'pedestal' you have in mind is another matter. Best of luck.

Here's a site with links to pincushon tutorials, though I didn't pedestal pincushion tutorials.
http://tipnut.com/22-free-pincushion-patterns/

I googled on "pedestal pincushion tutorials" and results come up, but not what you're lookiing for that I can see. One blog page has a link to HGTV for pedestal pincushions, but searching the HGTV website brings up no results.

One of the quilting books I read says you want wool as filler because the lanolin in it helps keep the needles from rusting or something. The little strawberry things on the classic tomato pincushions are filled with emery, the book says, to sharpen your pins against. Who knew?

Since reading the book, I'm interested in making a pincushion, too. The book says you want to keep pins in a pincushion rather than jumbled together in a container, because they rub on each other and cause burrs to form. My last pincushion became irretrievably dusty, and nowadays all I see are those boring tomato ones. My LQS has some darling ones that look like little hillocks mounted on a square of wood, but they use them in the store, they don't sell them.

Hope my links at least get you started, and then perhaps you'll make one and post a picture. I may, too. :-)

try this link, they are made from stemmed glass ware

http://mimikirchner.com/blog/archive...o-pin-cushion/

looks like you could use a candle holder for the pedestal and just make a large circle gathered and stuffed. Pretty cool idea

Those are some neat ideas for pincushions!

I made one myself out of a wooden candle holder. Cut 2 hearts, whatever size you want them to be, sew together leaving the bottom open. Stuff with fiberfill. Put some hot glue around top of candle holder and pull the stuffed heart down over the glue on candle holder. Tie a ribbon or piece of torn fabric to gather and help hold in place.

I'd show you a picture but I own a small antique, craft, and gift shop and it's at my shop.

I make them and use a spool of thread for the pedestal. They are cute. I have made flowers,birds, mice etc. What ever you make example flower you gather the bottom around a golf tee to stick in the spool. Hope this makes sense. i have patterns if you would like.

What neat ideas for pincushions. Who knew? When you don't go shopping, you miss all the new and exciting things available in shops! :lol: