[how to keep your pins sharp]
The classic tomato pincushion like this one helps to keep your pins sharp. The strawberry is filled with emery sand, so each time you put your pins in they are refined a little bit, smoothing out the metal and cleaning up the pins. Your pins are kept smooth and sharp, and clean! No more snagging pins.
Emery is a really hard rock, that is used as an abrasive powder in lots of different ways. It’s in some types of sandpaper, too. You can buy these little tomatoes for cheap on amazon
. Or you can buy emery sand and make your own cool pincushions!
. Or you can buy emery sand and make your own cool pincushions!
[Photo above is from Nakpunar.]
Jami Nato
02/17 at 3:19 PMi did not know pin cushions were filled with that magic. learned something new!
Malory
02/17 at 4:35 PMI never knew they actually sharpened; I just thought they held pins. Thanks for the great tip!
robin
02/17 at 6:48 PMThank you – I always wondered about this. I guess emery sand is on emery boards for nail filing, too! Duh!
Life with the Websters!
02/17 at 8:21 PMI had no idea! I’m amazed! Thanks for teaching me something new today!
Allison
02/17 at 8:56 PMI had no idea!
Toughie
02/17 at 9:40 PMI didn’t know this until Christmas when I bought a pincushion for my sister, and actually read the label. It also said not to leave your needles in the little strawberry, although I have no idea why.
Naturally Carol
02/18 at 5:41 AMWow..i had no idea there was such a thing! Thanks for the info.
Jayna Rae
02/18 at 7:06 AMI’ve always wondered what that little strawberry was for.
Jami
02/19 at 8:04 PMI never knew what that strawberry was for! Thanks for letting me in on this secret! :)
Lauren E. Douglas
10/25 at 2:50 PMI actually knew this! I have no idea how, but I did! :)
Elladaya
02/24 at 5:30 AMThere is a shop on Etsy that sells the emery sand: http://www.dottyral.etsy.com. I just bought some. Thanks for the good idea!
Glamour Glory
05/10 at 3:41 AM“The most popular design of pin cushion: a tomato with a strawberry attached, was most likely introduced during the Victorian Era. According to folklore, placing a tomato on the mantle of a new home guaranteed prosperity and repelled evil spirits. If tomatoes were out of season, families improvised by using a round ball of red fabric filled with sand or sawdust. The good-luck symbol also served a practical purpose—a place to store pins. Typically, the tomato is filled with wool roving to prevent rust, and the strawberry is filled with an abrasive to clean the pins.”
Learned this during sewing class. pretty nifty:)