Instead of a tissue paper roll, I cut the bottom out of a plastic Crystal Light container and use it to roll my binding on. No twisting, dragging on the floor, etc. and, because it's plastic, it lasts for such a long time.
I also made my own pin cushion using a metal jar lid for the bottom. The needles stop when the point gets to the bottom, so they don't get lost inside the pin cushion. First I covered the jar lid by hot-gluing fabric on the outside. Then I cut a large circle and glued the edge to the inside edge of the lid, leaving a small area so I could stuff lots of batting in. Finished by gluing the final edge down and added some trim.