Some of the "older"tomato pin cushions had a little emery strawberry thing attached. I still push my hand quilting/sewing needle into the little strawberry once in a while. don't know if it makes the needle sharper, but it is a habit I have gotten into over the years. My dm rarely replaced her sewing machine needle, she used to push it back and forth in the strawberry. Years ago, the machine needles were made of better metal than they are now.