My Mother's Pincushion
“Pincushions have been around since the Middle Ages. Early examples were made of embroidered linen, canvas, and satin and were called “pin-pillows.” The pincushion came into popular usage in the Victorian era, when it was frequently displayed as a tabletop trinket. One of the most common pincushion shapes is that of a tomato, and this is a vestige of the pincushion’s popularity as a Victorian tchotchke. In the 19th century, it was a common practice to place a tomato on the mantle as a good luck charm.”
I now own my mom’s pincushion which is from the 1950s at least. I have many memories of going to grab a pin for mom or putting one safely away here.
The ribbon on the top is very weak but the crochet work is strong, however, faded. A pincushion was a necessity in the old days.
My mother’s mom and aunts were seamstresses and worked with fur sold to Europe. They made fur coats and hats. Hats made with beaver were world-famous.
Mom said she felt compelled to learn to sew after seeing how gifted her aunts were in sewing. She often told me of the time they were all going swimming when she was very young and she had no swimsuit. Her aunt just whipped one up for her in a half-hour.
My mother raised seven children and I used to go to sleep at night to the sound of her sewing machine. With four boys she was always mending jeans.
I never took up sewing although I can mend with a needle and thread quite well. Both of my sisters sewed, but I’m not sure if they still do.
If more of us took up sewing and mending we’d have less of a throw-away world. We no longer cherish clothes as they used to. Many clothing items were handed down through generations.
I wish we could return to that.
My mother gave her Singer sewing machine to my daughter Jackie. This was her helping with a Halloween outfit in 2015.
Skills! My mother created both of these Klondike dresses, which she wore in Edmonton, Alberta.
My mother hemming my slacks in 2015 on her Singer.