Red Tomato Pincushion "Re-Do"

Last Tuesday, I told you about my "Special Pincushion Class" at our guild retreat and mentioned to you that in my next post I would tell you about something you can do with your "stale, red tomato pincushions. Of course, that's assuming that you have "stale" red tomato pincushions. You may think yours is just fine. I have always thought they needed a "little something," but never gave it much more thought than that. Until I saw a blog featuring a lovely red tomato pincushion or two.

These red pincushions have been around for a very long time. I have had several, ultimately getting rid of them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought little of disposing of them when they became worn and tired. Not any more!

I visited a blog...you know how it is....you go to a person's blog you visit often and there is a comment or you see an interesting "favorite blog" listed, etc., or you visit the blogs of those making comments on your own blog. Next thing you know you see something interesting and you learn! Isn't this one of the really grand things about blogging?

I was "visiting," scrolling through a blog when I saw red tomato pincushions....these really caught my eye. Turns out they were in the collection of the blog owner and were made by her grandmother...oh, yes...just my kind of thing....vintage, with bits of tatting, buttons, etc. I loved them immediately and wondered what had made this grandmother "decorate" her red tomato pincushions. Thinking we all need to add some beauty (wherever we find it) to each day and knowing that this grandmother didn't want to waste a thing (I'm pretty much of the same mind)....I imagined what was running through her mind when she pinned these bits of beauty to her "stale" red pincushion.

Yes, she had taken tiny bits of handmade lacy things, buttons, etc. and embellished her pincushions.....making them beautiful to my eyes when I found them out in cyberspace week before last. Her decorations were pinned on! Oh, what a simple embellishment, so easy, so beautiful. I emailed the granddaughter and asked permission to copy this idea and show the class I was to teach later that week. Permission was given and the rest is history. So, go visit for yourself....robin-giftsyoucanfeelgoodabout.blogspot.com.

When you visit the blog....scroll down to her post on August 26th, entitled "It's RedNesday @
It's a Very Cherry World" and check out her grandmother's pincushions. See you if love them too.

So, I went out and bought several pincushions, embellished them with bits of lace I had on hand and took them to my class, drawing names of three students and presenting them with their own embellished tomato pincushions. One also went to the whole group as one of the door prizes. I also brought one home...the largest one you see here. They are ingenious really, you can look at the "bits" of decoration all you want to and when they get "stale " to you...unpin them and add something else. Or, if you love them, as I did the grandmother's....well, then, you can leave them as is and hopefully, they will enthrall someone else down the line.

So, having had a seed planted in my brain....and embroidery being one of my passions...I set about this weekend to do my own "thing" with some tomato pincushions. Here you have a blue one (I've just learned they come in different colors!!) and a red one. (And, yes, Deb...I have a purple one, just not decorated yet!) On the blue one, I removed the thread "ribs" completely, on the small red one, I replaced them with floss the color of the flowers. Also, on the blue one, I stitched the "strawberry" down flat, on the red, stitching it down in an upright position. Simple embroidery stitches....all in variegated threads.....my version of embellishing these everyday pincushions....just not removable.

Also, working on these pincushions made me wonder...just what really is inside these?
I was under the impression that emery powder was in the strawberry so as to sharpen your needles and pins when needed. And, I've always heard that the tomato was stuffed with sawdust. Turns out the tomato IS stuffed with sawdust, covered with a papery plastic, but the strawberry is stuffed with sand rather than emery. Interesting.

So, there you are. Red tomato pincushions...not so stale after all. Who knew? (Thanks, Robin!) Take care, pat