Tomatoe pincushions use to come with the tiny strawberry attached that was full of emery. I have several old ones and the emery has never seeped out, the strawberries still feel very solid. Most of my old tomatoe pincushions are made from velvet. Many of the old pincushions are filled with sawdust, thus the emery attached. Someone posted here that if you find a very old one, cut it open. There will be lots of needles and pins in it. The older the pincushion the better.