"The tomato pincushion has definitely made its mark as a classic."
Pin cushions have been around for a long time. There are written records referencing them which date back to the Middle Ages of Europe. It’s no surprise since we all know how handy they are to have around. The tomato pincushion has definitely made its mark as a classic. The tomato pin cushion got its start in Great Britain during the Victorian Era when it was thought that placing a tomato on the mantel would bring good luck. During the time when tomatoes were not in season, cloth tomatoes filled with sand or sawdust took its place on the mantel. From there, the iconic tomato pin cushion was born!
Create one your own iconic tomato pin cushion with this easy step by step guide.
You will need:
- A rectangle of red fabric which is twice as long as it is wide
- Craft felt in green or brown
- Embroidery thread in green or brown
- Embroidery needle
- Craft glue
- Polyester fill
- your printed label to add on
Let’s get started!
With your fabric facing right-side up, fold your fabric in half. Take your embroidery thread and needle and sew a running stitch up the side which is opposite from the folded edge of the fabric and along the bottom. You will now have what resembles a little bag.
Attach a printed label to the front side in the center.
Gather the sewn bottom of the “bag” and wrap a length of thread around the bottom and knot it to secure it in place.
Turn the fabric “bag” right-side out and sew a running stitch along the top of the opening. Leave a good length extra which will be used to pull the top closed.
Stuff with polyester fill. Fill it as full as possible.
Carefully pull the embroidery thread closed and knot it to secure the top.
Using your embroidery thread and needle once again, stitch through the tomato center and around the outside, looping around 5 or 6 times to create the segments. Knot the thread at the bottom to secure the stitch.
Cut an uneven star shape out of felt (for the leaves) and stitch a loop of thread though the middle if desired.
Using a generous amount of craft glue, tack down the felt leaves and allow to fully dry.
Your tomato pin cushion is complete! No matter if your making your own clothing, quilting or doing cross stitch, your new pin cushion is sure to come in handy!
