This week’s “Pin Cushions” picks are brought to you by Linda of Selective Salvage.

While I’m not a seamstress myself, I keep my eyes open for special sewing notions that would delight the talented quilters I count as friends. Pin cushions are a favorite of mine. Dating to the 1500s, they became a necessity when needles and pins were mass produced during the late 1800s. Here are three examples of vintage pin cushions that I think would make delightful gifts:

Hanging Velvet Strawberry Cushion, c 1900s

What I like about this piece: The beaded velvet strawberry is charming and the hand embroidered leaf that functions as a hanger is the perfect complement to it from a color perspective. I am taken by the ingenuity of the creator…a pin cushion that can be hung as a work of art when not in use.

Victorian Gilt Brass Sewing Bird, c late 1800s

And this one? A sewing bird is a clamp that was designed in the 1800s as an aid for hand sewing. The original bird-shaped design that gave rise to the name was patented in America by Charles Westman in 1853. Clamped to the edge of a table, it acted as a “3rd hand” keeping the fabric taut as one sewed. The first clamps were just that, hand-forged iron devices but the popularity of the tool among the wealthy women in the Victorian era led to the production of elaborate designs like this one. Wouldn’t this be a great gift for my quilter friend who also happens to be a bird watcher?

Wm. Goebel Pierette Flapper Girl Pin Cushion, c 1920s

And this? This lovely lady caught my eye because she would be the perfect gift for a seamstress but would also appeal to a collector of french theater artifacts, art deco objects or William Goebel dolls. We should all be so fetching at a century old.

In case you missed two earlier sewing-related posts: 5 Ways to Add Vintage Style to a Denim Jacket and 6 Fabulous Ideas for Repurposing Vintage Doilies.

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