True but some of us like the pin cushion to be more functional. I received some filled with poly fill and they do not work for me. I have not made the time to do surgery on them and replace the filling. It is good you ask the recipients.

I saw on here a couple of times about lanolin. How/what does the lanolin source come from? I have seen it in reference to wool also. Where and how is lanolin added?. I know the old pin cushions I had purchased had sawdust and in a tomato pin cushion with a little tomato bud that had sand in it to sharpen the needles in. We all know they don't make things like they used to do and if we can do it better I am sure this board knows about it. I love this board, everyones opinion counts for something.

Ladibug

LadiBug .... lanolin is naturally occurring in the the sheep's fleece

For those that use walnut shells, be sure that no one you sew for is allergic to walnuts. I use stuffing but I might buy some emery powder to try.

Don't use walnut shells because of people's allergies. I'm told Fiberfill will dull pins eventually, wool is OK, steel wool from a Hardware store will sharpen your pins so I use that.

I use crafter's sand for the weight, and then poly fill over that. It seems to work well so far. I also like to have functional pincushions. I have a couple in my sewing room. Two in my living room. Will have one in my bedroom in case I want to sew or embroidery at night. I do have two that will be used for a pretty display. I love pincushions.

I went to the hardware store sand bought some steel wool that French polishers use it is very fine and stuffed my pincushion with that , it cleans and sharpens the pins very time you use it , has worked great for me for over 25 years . Cathy

pin cushion filling
 

Question - when you talk of wool, are you talking about wool yarn, old wool sweaters, felted wool? How do you think a combination of fine steel wool and wool would work? Lanolin and sharpening all in one.....just a thought. I have a woven pine needle basket (small) that my grandmother made MANY years ago that I need to re-do into a pin cushion. Definitely needs weight in the bottom (sand) but a fluffier top would be ideal. Thanks for your input!

For sure, do not use steel wool if you live in a high humidity area, like I do. You will have nothing but a rust pile left in short order and your pins will be solid rust too.

I use magnetic pin cushions. I love them. They're handy and keep the pins on them.. and if you drop them you can use it like a magnet wand to locate the lost pins.
I'm not a fan of fabric pin cushions. I know I'm in the minority here but I just don't like the look of impaled pins sticking out all over the place... maybe it's my creeped out memories of watching Hellraiser lol.