Since we were talking about pot-holder innards, could someone please remind me which site to visit (or if anyone can remember the actual answer), what is the best 'stuff' to put inside a pincushion to prevent any pins from rusting? I do apologise, I know we have spoken of this before; but I didn't think I'd ever be in the position of making a pin cushion, so I didn't save anything (or commit it to memory). Now our group is setting this as the challenge for our next Show - an original pincushion. So, we need to be able to inform everyone what the best kind of filling is.
Raw wool, I'm thinking, Pat. Of course you have to shear your own sheep to achieve that ideal for pincushions. Any unsuspecting sheep wandering around the Green? Polly
if there are paddocks around with sheep there will no doubt be wool along the fenceline for anyone to gather and use as they see fit. its what some folks do here anyhow. not that i ever have been so inclined. j.
"Polly Esther" wrote ... Raw wool, I'm thinking, Pat. Of course you have to shear your own sheep to achieve that ideal for pincushions. Any unsuspecting sheep wandering around the Green? Polly
I've read that a bit of steel wool included inside the pin cushion will help keep the pins/needles sharp. But I don't know any details of how much or how to arrange it with the other stuffing matter???
Somewhere in the last 100 years or so, I think I honest-to-goodness read the instructions on that cute little strawberry that comes with the standard plain old tomato pin cushion. 'They said' to use the strawberry (filled with emery something) for sharpening pins/needles and not to use it to keep them in/on whatever. So where does that leave us? Jeanne, are you here? You are just so fine at rootling out information for us. Polly
Pat, I seldom have problems with rusty pins here in the desert, but standard fillings for pin cushions vary widely, each has benefits and "not-benefits". Wool, preferably with lanolin still in it is one of the best. It does wick moisture away and the lanolin helps lubricate the pins/ needles. (BTW, I tend to only put pins in most pin cushions. The needles tend to get lost. So I use "needle books" of various types for needles. And a scrap of felted wool or wool felt works well as a needle book. ) Old time commercially made tomato pincushions were stuffed with sawdust. Again, keeps moisture away from the pins and such. But you have to make sure it is fine, so lumps won't dull pins, but not so fine as to allow it to sift through the fabric. (Having one of these literally fall apart on me is what convinced me about needles in pin cushions....must have removed over a dozen from that batch of sawdust.) Polyester fiberfill/batting scraps will work. But we all know that polyester is not kind to needles/pins. They will get dull more quickly. And the polyfibers can trap water on occasion. The stuff is also light weight, but the kitties love to play with polyester filled shapes. Currently the big thing is, as Sandy mentioned, ground walnut shells. Some quilt shops sell the stuff in smallish amounts, pet shops are cheaper but you have to buy a lot more. You can actually use most anything in a pin cushion. Just think about what will happen to the points and shafts of the pins as they go in and out of the cushion.
When I did spinning demonstrations I used to sell small bags of fleece for pincushions to lacemakers..
Before selling it I used to clean and wash it. If you leave it in its raw state the lanolin will soak through the cover and leave brown stains. I know this because I used to keep my fleece in cotton bags.
To clean it just place it in cold water. You will find the water gets warm, this is due to the natural suint in the fleece. Leave it for a few hours, then rinse and dry naturally. No need for detergents. Then you can use it.
Incidentally sheep's wool from hedgerows and fences will have been subjected to all the varigations of weather and will have been scoured and probably no lanolin left in it. Hugs Shirley
Thanks everyone for all the ideas. Since we live in a sheep raising part of the country, fleece should not be too much of a problem: I don't even think we have had shearing yet! One of the sheep farmers near here is in Ludlow Quilters, so I'll ask her. I think the 'outlandish' filling that I remembered was the ground walnut shells! I'll make a note of all the suggestions and put them in a 'share-able' list.
I'm grateful, as I reckon my immediate reaction would have been small bits of batting (which could have been polyester and dull the pins).
The show isn't for a couple of years! but we are going to issue the challenge at the AGM in September, so I needed to be ready.
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