I use wool. Any container can be used. I use wool scraps, wool I find at quilt shows, old men's suits..women's skirts.. the list goes on. I then stuff the pincushion w/ wool that I actually got from a place that sheer sheep. The lanolin in the wool stuffing is great for pins. The tricky(er) part is getting lots of stuffing in there to be firm...
Here's one that I made for my mom. It sits on the dresser to put straight pins in, I love having pins available in my bedroom. I wouldn't use it in my sewing room, it'd get knocked on to the floor in no time! LOL!!
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