If you have a hat stand lingering about the house, you can be a nut like the ladies of old and turn it into a pincushion. I am now convinced that the old time ladies were determined to make pincushions out of everything they could find inside and outside of their homes.
The pincushion instructions below were originally published in 1913.
Poppy Pincushion
This pincushion is made over a wooden hat stand. These wooden forms are purchased at any fancy work store. The huge flower forms are good imitations of large poppies. The top is a smaller poppy.
The flowers at the base are three in number. Around a padded satin covered center are the petals. The center is made by a ball of cotton, the silk curved over it and sewed at the base.
Pink ribbon is gathered one-fourth of an inch from the edge. Ribbon is attached to the base of the padded center, and the ribbon is wound about in three layers. This gives the petal effect.
The three forms are placed around the base after the stem is wrapped by the ribbon from base to top. A long piece of ribbon is shirred, as in the flower forms, and wound around itself, as the swirled roses are made, the lower edge drawn and sewed fast to the top.
Put pins with black, white, and colored tops in the centers of each flower at the base and you will have finished as pretty a pincushion as you will see.
These floral pincushions may be made to represent other flowers than poppies, of course. It is a good idea to scent them with sachet powder. The scent should, if possible, be suited to the flowers, a rose cushion being perfumed with rose powder, etc. If you happen to know what is the favorite flower of the one for whom the gift is intended, use it in designing the pin cushion. A gift of this sort will be appreciated and kept long after the useless trifles so often got up in the name of fancy work are discarded and forgotten.
Source: The Denver star. (Denver, Colo.), 08 Nov. 1913.
