Hey y'all,
Just bought a cute pattern for pincushions, but no where does it say what to use to stuff them with. HELP!!
I'd like to get started making these but not sure what to use inside them.
Thanks for any help.
Ty

You can stuff them with a soft polyfill, but sand works well too. I made a really cute one using an antique sugar dish and used sand in that one and I love it. I've heard it helps keep your pins and needles sharp, but don't quote me on that! :)

Morning Lin,
Thanks for the ideas. I wanted to use something that would help keep the pins and needles sharp so will try the sand idea. Hope I don't make a mess all over the place tho. :?
Now my honey will wonder what new kinds of trouble I'm getting myself into, playing with sand. Oh well, always like to keep him guessing.

:lol: :lol: Mine never knows what I'll be up to next! I used a small funnel to get the sand where it needed to be. That kept the mess to a minimum. :)

I'll try that suggestion and will let you know how they turn out.

I have a pattern for a tea cup pin cushion:

http://www.sew-whats-new.com/projects/t-cup-pin-C.shtml

They recommend steel wool. My tip would be "do not use polyester." You know how it dulls your rotary cutter blades when you cut it. If you are going to put needles in this pin cushion, you want something that will sharpen, noto dull them.

Now, take a look at what is in the old fashioned pin cushions. The little strawberry is filled with sand, but the "tomato" is filled with something akin to sawdust.

Perhaps some of you will use this pattern. I have been collecting cups and saucers from Thrift stores and plan to make some for gifts. You can be creative and use other things like antique sugar bowls, creamers, etc.

I do hope this is helpful to someone.

June in Cincinnati

June,
What a darling idea for a pincushion. I love thrift stores and garage sales so guess I'll start looking for tea cups and saucers now too. Oh my poor hubby. :roll:
I do know not to use poly batting in the pincushion and was thinking about the tomato and strawberry pincushions with sawdust ( or something like that) in them, but I believe I'll try the suggestions here: sand and steel wool. I'll have to let y'all know which I prefer when I get them done.
Thanks for the site link.

my 2cents or sense you be the juge! the stuff in the strawberry on the tomatoe is emery (a very fine sand) i can't tell if it does anything for my needles or not but when i think about it i stick them in there a few times. needles and pins are probably the cheapest part of our addiction any way. i'm going to find a cute something and make me one with sand for the weight, it burns me up to reach for a pin with my free hand and pick up the whole thing, then i have to let go of what i was holding in place. i don't get a chance to go to garage sales and stuff cause i'm only off on Sunday but my mom will welcome another excuse to go (like she needs one. LOL)
thanks for the neat idea

I get my sugar bowls at various flea markets in the area. I've picked them up for as little as a couple of bucks. It takes no time to make one of these. I usually add a little embellishment around the edge of the bowl to hide any hot glue that might be showing. Now I'll be looking at tea cups too! :)
I agree that it's miserable to have such a light pin cushion that you pick up the whole thing at once. Ugh! These are just heavy enough...

Once again if I may........ I do not use this type pin cushion on my sewing table, unless it is for needles. These are decorative and make a nice addition for a dresser for things like a ha tpin collection.

For my sewing area I have 3 magnetic grabbers and I would not be able to live without them. I keep one directly behind the sewing machine so I can toss the pins as I pull them. I keep one in the cutting area (yes, I did buy the 500 pin package) and the other one is for carrying to another location, like beside my recliner if I am removing stitches and need to re-pin. Like the paring knife in the kitchen, one is NEVER enough!

June in Cincinnati

I have different types of pin cushions set all around my sewing room. Most of them were given as gifts and I use them all. I have four machines that I use and there's one for each machine and then one I keep just for my long glass head pins. Another for my flower pins and long pins for pinning to my design wall. I have a magnetic one as well that I can carry around the houes when I'm appliqueing all over the place. LOL I love the one that I have that is a combination pin holder and trash collector for threads. My quilting friends love the sugar bowl ones I give for gifts. Some use them for practical purposes, some don't. :)

June thanks for the link that is a neat idea. A great christmas gift idea too. LOL. I have never made a pin cushion but only because my MIL made me one when I first started sewing again and she put steel wool in it. It is just a simple one but I'm not parting with it.LOL. It'll probably hang around forever just because she was thoughtful and made it. LOL. I also use th e magnetic ones. Those new pin cusions that look like they are a jelly roll or something, anyone know what I am talking about? They look like they are made out of wool but they are all different colors and it looks like it's rolled up. Are those easy to make? I'm going to google it, I just didn't know if anyone had made one. :D

I know the ones you are talking about, Heather, and I love those -I think they are called Ewesful Pincushions - but I might be mistaken.

I would stuff a pincushion with wool, sawdust or sand.

Oh, here is one more. This one I would lilke to make. Take note of her suggestion for stuffing! Looks like an antique one. I love the look. And the pattern is FREE!!!

http://www.purlbee.com/very-easy-pincushions/

June in Cincinnati

Speaking of "EWE"sful pincushions and wool....
I live on a sheep farm...maybe I could grab a handful of wool next time I'm out! LOL!
(What do you think, Heather?)

Miranda- More power to ya! You're on your own on that one. HAHA. LOL. I guess I could go out there and hold the sheep while you pull. LOL

June~ That is a great link!!

Thanks for the link! I think I would prefer wool or sawdust for a filler, but I really like that pattern for a pincushion.

Oh, here is one more. This one I would lilke to make. Take note of her suggestion for stuffing! Looks like an antique one. I love the look. And the pattern is FREE!!!

http://www.purlbee.com/very-easy-pincushions/

June in Cincinnati

Nah, I'll just borrow "somebody's" rubber boots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :twisted:

I have a Ewesful pincushion, and it is made of pure handfelted wool according to the tag. They're very pretty pincushions and they really do keep the needles and pins sharp. The company is Brush Hollow Studios out of Viroqua, WI. Miranda, I guess if you and Heather can pull a pile of wool off the sheep you could try felting, dying and rolling it into balls. Don't tell the sheep this was my idea, huh???!

Nah, Leslee, we won't tell them it was your idea...

This is just a little off the subject. I have a computer mouse pad, with the spongy black side out that I put on the wall in my sewing room. That is where I put threaded needles. The teacup idea is pretty cute, and thrift stores are packed with cute ones that somebody cleaned out of grandma's house. Sara

Define. Which cute ones? ready-made pin cushions, cups and saucers or both? Guess I am getting confused.

Where can we get some real sheep wool? that would be nice to use. Doesn't it have natural lanolin in the wool? That would be nice to work with.

June,
Thanks once again for the 2nd pincushion pattern. These are just too cute.
I do want to use these as gifts, but would like them to be useable too.
Glad there are so many of you interested in the same thing.

Ty, I tried to read the posts backwards and could not find where you might have given a description of the pin cushion pattern you have. Since you bought the pattern you might not be able to she it as such, but you can tell us what it looks like or send us a photo (of the pattern) or the finished project. I am really curious. Tell us!

June in Cincinnati

I just GOTTA share this one with you. They are not FREE but they are so darn clever.

http://www.thecalicocat.com/patterns-pincushions.htm You must see the
"Little Banty Chick" because it is the cutest thing.

Then take a look at this link:

http://www.quiltingworks.com/patterns/chicken-pin-cushion-pattern.htm


June in Cincinnati

Sorry I didn't mention the pattern I just bought - I got it from Connecting Threads, thru the catalog. They are called "Mama's Pincushions".
It is a kit with 4 different patterns and 12 FQ's included. The patterns are:
Apple Core, Grandmothers Flower Garden, Honeycomb and Tumbler.
Y'all probably already have these patterns available and could just adapt them for the pincushions.
Thanks for the new sites too. I saw where you could buy the emery sand from one of them.
Very helpful, but I think I'm going to try the steel wool first.

Speaking of "EWE"sful pincushions and wool....
I live on a sheep farm...maybe I could grab a handful of wool next time I'm out! LOL!
(What do you think, Heather?)[/quote]

Better be careful we might want you to shear one and send us all a fistful of raw wool to stuff pincushions. :lol: what do you think about that?

This link is listed above, but I list it again because on that page, it lists emery sand for sale to put in the strawberry part of the pin cushion, and also mentions fine sand as the stuffing for the tomato parts.

http://www.thecalicocat.com/patterns-pincushions.htm

I have made several of the hen or chicken pincushions and use mine regularly. I filled them with rice. It gives it enough weight so that it is sturdy and is much easier to fill than sand.

sewbeeit42

Better be careful we might want you to shear one and send us all a fistful of raw wool to stuff pincushions. :lol: what do you think about that?[/quote]

They are Mother-In-Law and GrandMother-In-Law's sheep....
I was going to steal it....
I wonder if they'd notice the sheep were going bald..???................

Great idea about using wool. I'll have to go check the barn and see if we sold everything last spring. With a last name of Woolley of course we raise sheep.

I am wondering how to clean it bc it has hay and everything else in it...

I'd pick out the big pieces, then wash the wool in warm water with some Orvis soap or Ivory dish soap. This will get the dirt as well as some of the lanolin. It's what we use to get show animals clean. Rinse well and let dry. You can put it in a tied pillow case and spin it in the washing machine to get extra water out. Card it to get the foreign material out. The carded wool is a roving and then needle felt it. Not all wool is used for yarn and handcrafts. Different breeds of sheep will give you different types of fiber and your results may vary with what you're doing.

Took a class years ago with a darling older woman and she made pincushions with the raw wool. She said the lanolin kept the needles and pins from rusting. I now make my pincushions with raw wool.

I use sawdust. It too sharpens your pins.

Are there pictures any where of these pin cushions? I'd like to see some,

Rebecca, go to the first page, June posted a link

PLEASE NOTE: THE LINK I POSTED IS NO LONGER WORKING.

June