Make your own walnut pincushion.

A couple of years ago, my daughters and I were searching through a little antique shop for a gift and saw a bunch of tiny walnut pincushions.  These were so miniature and sweet that I decided to make them that year for Christmas. Cracking the walnut in half is the most difficult part of this project, but, If you can manage it, the rest is as easy as can be!

Side view of my walnut pincushion

Brief Description: These tiny walnut pincushions make unique gifts. Trifles like these also are excellent additions to miniature collections and novelty boxes.

Supply List:

   1. one cleaned walnut split in half and hollowed out.

   2. tiny pincushion template

   3. scissors

   4. decorative button

   5. small handful of cotton stuffing

   6. a small swatch of woven check or plaid

   7. tacky white glue

Directions:

• Cut a piece of woven check fabric after drawing around the template provided. (3 inch diameter circle)
• Sew a loose straight stitch around the edge of the fabric circle.
• Gently pull the end of the thread in order to create a pouch for the cotton to be stuffed.
• Stuff the cotton in firmly and sew the edges tightly down around the stuffing.
• Sew on a button for decoration.
• Stuff the walnut half with cotton and then glue the tiny pin cushion on top of the walnut.

Top view of my walnut pincushion.

Circular template may be sized to three inches across in a Word Document. Read the Terms of Use before downloading.

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Pincushion Projects

Above is an antique “hooked” pin cushion that belonged to my mother-in-law.

A pincushion is a small cushion, typically 3-5 cm across, which is used in sewing to store pins or needles with their heads protruding so as to take hold of them easily, collect them, and keep them tidy. Pincushions are typically filled tightly with stuffing, so as to hold pins rigidly once placed. The stereotypical design – a tomato with a strawberry attached – seems to have been around forever but, most likely, was introduced during the Victorian Era.Typically, the tomato is filled with wool roving to prevent rust, and the strawberry is filled with an abrasive to clean the pins and keep them sharp.

Below are some links to a variety of antique pincushions:

• View the layette pincushions at the museum of childhood
• Civil War pincushion artifact
• Marvelous examples of early beadwork pincushions
• Vintage Scandanavian Leather Shoe Pincushion
• A Mohawk Pincushion at the NMAI museum
• More native American folk art pincushions
• Niagara Falls Souvenir pincushion by Native Americans
• All kinds of vintage pincushions at Silversnow Antiques and More

Pincushions come in all shapes, sizes and forms:

1. Martha Stewart’s Homegrown Tomato Pincushions
2. Fantabulous Pincushion Tutorial
3. Bitty Dog by Bunny Hill Designs
4. Square Wrist Pincushion
5. Baby Food Jar Pincushion
6. Martha Stewart’s Wool Sweater Tea Cup Pincushions
7. Folk Art Pincushions from the stitching post
8. African Violet Pincushion How-to
9. Ladybug Pincushion How-To
10. Mushroom Pincushion How-To
11. Handmade Kitty Cat Pincushion
12. Small Wonder Pin Blossom
13. Soda Bottle Cap Pincushion
14. Square Pincushion Tutorial
15. Owly Pincushion
16. Tin Can Pincushion
17. Pincushion/Thread Catcher Tutorial
18. Homespun Hearts Pincushions
19. Busy Bees Pincushion
20. Dress Form Pincushion
21. Softie Owl Pincushion
22. Free Hedgie Pincushion
23. Wild Flower Pincushion Pattern
24. Make A Mini-Basket Pincushion – Tutorial
25. Tiny Pin Cushion Inside a Walnut Shell
26. Monkeyroom’s Pincushion Tutorial
27. Pincushion Jar Tutorial
28. Wooly Brown Owl Pincushion
29. Pincushion Hangup
30. Pincushion Wristlet
31. Flowerpot Pincushion
32. Thumb Pincushion
33. Sunny Wrist Pincushion Tutorial
34. Pincushion Cuff Tutorial
35. Patchwork Pincushion
36. Pear Pincushion
37. Make Do Pincushion
38. Mouse Pincushion
39. Bari J Pincushion
40. Blue Owl Pincushion
41. Abyquilt Pincushion Tutorial
42. Wristlet Pincushion
43. Patchwork Pincushion Tutorial
44. Vintage Pincushion Sachet
45. Blossom Pincushion
46. Felt Spring Hat Pincushion
47. Crazy Daisly Pin Cushion Pattern
48. How To Make A Simple Square Pincushion
49. Amazing Mae’s Simple Pincushion Tutorial
50. Granny Square Pincushion
51. Amish Puzzle Ball Pincushion
52. Teacup Pincushion
53. Tick Tock Watch Wrist Pincushion
54. Toadstool Cottage & Mushroom House Pincushion
55. Bitty Bug Pincushion
56. Crochet Cupcake Pincushion
57. Magnetic Wrist Pincushion
58. Log Cabin Pincushion
59. Tiny little teacup pinchusion
60. Pretty Hex Pincushions
61. Scrappy Armrest Pincushion Tutorial
62. Strawberry Pincushion Tutorial

My favorite pincushion is a half doll (above) that was given to me by my great aunt. I’ll include links of these prickly beauties below. Some of them have been dismantled. With the price of needles these days, it’s no wonder. One must, from time to time, retrieve the lost and buried just to pinch a few pennies!

• Half dolls, bathing beauties and pin cushions
• Recent Addiction – 20′s Porcelain Figures
• Half Dolls: A Full Time Collectable
• The Wonderful Half Doll, Decoration and Worker
• Pincushion “Dolls”
• Half Doll Pincushions

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What should be included in a young student’s first sewing kit?

• A needle threader – Small fingers and inexperienced eyes can not always keep a needle threaded properly so, keeping a needle threader on hand is a very good idea.
• A pincushion is sometimes included in a fancy little sewing basket. But, no matter what type of kit your student chooses, he or she should have a small pincushion included in it. Many teachers choose to assign a pincushion first before all other projects are considered. This is a traditional introductory lesson for any person learning to sew.
• I prefer tiny scissors to a seam riper for children. A seam riper in a beginning sewing class or workshop for young children, is an accident waiting to happen!
• A small variety of threads – Threads come in very small quantities at sewing shops. It is easy to find tiny spools of thread even in the grocery store. Black, white, navy, red, yellow, pink and pale blue cotton thread are all quite common in these small packs.
• Sampling of buttons – Students will use odd buttons for decorative purposes or for practice in a beginning sewing class.
• Her own needles – Students should never share their needles with each other under any conditions what-so-ever! Make this a class rule. The teacher may keep extra needles at her own desk for those students who forget their own. Students should not return the needle to the teacher after using it. In order to prevent the transfer of illness this rule must be reinforced in the classroom.
• A white piece of chalk is needed for marking fabric. There are also fancy marking pens that older students may wish to purchase.
• A small tape measure – This is a must even for little kids because it incorporates basic math skills into their sewing projects. Teachers may wish to print and cut these out to help save money on the kit supplies.
• Band-aids are a must for a kit.
• Antiseptic spray or an anti-biotic cream is also very important as well inside of any sewing kit. Those needle pricks will occur and they heal up fast with medicine on the spot.
• A thimble

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