Pin Cushions

This is from a friend in Arizona.

I was reading a quilting magazine this afternoon and thought of you. You write so much about things from our past. I found this article on pin cushions.

Have you ever wondered why so many pin cusions are shaped like tomatoes? Well, superstition once held that placing a ripe tomato on the mantel the first time you entered a new home would guarantee future prosperity and ward off evil spirits -- and while they were easy to come by in the summer, they were few and far between in the winter months...

So when tomatoes weren't in season, a round, red pinchusion would be used and to this day, many of them are made in that shape and color.

Make do pincushions are a classic example of country thrift...most prevalent in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women used the materials they had on hand. Like broken candlestick holder or oil lamp...they would
use the base and make a pincushion on top of it.

Kudos to Soozi for sharing!

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