Many years ago when my daughter was in the Brownies she made me a pin cushion using a recycled tuna can. We did not have any batting to use as stuffing and she used a piece of steel wool and covered it with fabric and lace. It turned out beautiful, but even better each time I inserted a pin or pulled out a pin the steel wool sharpened that pin. I just loved her creativity and those nice sharp pins
Great tip!
Grace ,nice tip thanks Barbara
EAT!! SLEEP !! QUILT!!
I just looked for steel wool last week for this very same thing, read in an old quilt magazine it keeps pins sharp!! You are way ahead of the game!!!
The "old" tomato pin cushions are filled with some kind of sand (like emery stuff for your nails). In recent years when I have seen these "cute" pin cushions filled with batting, I have thought 'Yeah, but the pins don't get re-filed for sharpness' - so I think this is a GREAT idea! You can still make the cute pincushions for gifts, and have that "little extra" as well! Thanks!
The Quilt Daddy:a wool pin cushion
How does wool sharpen a pin?
Maybe the synergy between the pins and the lanolin creates an environment that keeps them sharp?
gini in north idaho
And rust free??
i think that rust is free, it's the new shiny stuff you have to pay for.
No you boob, does the lanolin keep the pins rust free. Of course you arn't going to pay for rusty anything. Although, if you are an antiquer (sp??) you do infact pay for rust. Or is that PATINA?
I apologize ahead of time for this, as you are all probably making a joke of this, but just to make sure I am setting the record straight for us sillies who are not getting the joke, but I mean, she says STEEL wool, as in "SOS Pads" without the soap... (you can get it in bags at Home Depot, and lots of painters use it to scrape old paint and varnish off things...)
bella, we were poking fun at richard, he forgot to add the steel part.
That is a really great idea!
OH!
[she said, as she blushed in embarrassment, ..."Well," she thought, "at least I have a new job, so I can tell them I was too tired to think things through before I opened my mouth.." all the while happy she has a new job, she knew that excuse wouldn't fly with this bunch. They are just too quick, and can never be fooled....}
...uh...Now I get it! Thanks, Gini!
[then she decided she better get to bed]