Pincushions — Huntington Quilt Design

Pincushions

(available for purchase in my shop)

approx. 5” square

Materials: cotton quilting fabric, crushed walnut filler

Methods: traditional piecing, machine quilting

Designed and made by Jill Huntington

2021 - present

Pincushions can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Europe… who knew? They were known by many different names (note to turn off my spell-check): pimpilowes, pimpilos, pimplos, pimploes, pin-pillows, pin-poppets. Today, you may hear them called pinnies, poppets, and pincushions (fun words to say!). No matter what we call them, pincushions provide a useful tool to help store and access sewing needles easily, and they are a fun way to bring a little decoration to your sewing space.

I have experimented with different types of filler material. I started with dried lavender from my mom’s garden. I love the sentimentality of this, combined with the fact that it produces a lovely (albeit faint) scent. The downside is that lavender produces a feather-light weight, which is kind of unsatisfying.

The filler of choice is finely crushed walnut shells. It gives the pincushion a firmness and weight that feels more substantial, while resulting in a smooth surface texture. As a former Special Education teacher who worked with students with sensory and attention challenges, pincushions are also a nice “fidget toy,” something to knead and toss around. Beauty, form and function in one!

Rose Garden Ironing Board Cover

Huntington Quilt Design