If you don’t own a tomato pincushion, you’re a monster. Just kidding. I had one that was made in the seventies and I lost it a few years back while moving. I have yet to both making myself a new, authentic tomato pincushion, but not I have the original instructions for making one which I will share with you.
Originally published in 1907.
In Shape of a Tomato
Small pincushions, made in the form of various fruits and vegetables, are always both useful and decorative. They make very welcome little gifts, and are equally in place on the dressing table or the escritoire. Moreover, they are very useful for stalls at a bazaar, where they always command a ready sale.
We give an illustration of a pretty little pincushion of this kind made in exact imitation of a tomato. It should be covered with crimson velvet, matching as nearly as possible the natural color of a ripe tomato, and cut in four separate pieces, the better to imitate the shape of the fruit.
The stalk could be made of narrow green ribbon, stiffened inside with wire, while the narrow points should be of the ribbon only.
This tomato pincushion could easily be arranged to hang on the corner of a looking glass by attaching a long loop of narrow, green silk ribbon very firmly to the top, just behind the green stalk.
A round ball-shaped cushion would be made, and not too tightly fitted.
It is covered with velvet; then the divisions would be made by drawing red baby ribbon tightly down over the cushion; it must be pressed on the top to flatten it, and the stalk sewn on.
Source: The Vinita daily chieftain. (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]), 24 Aug. 1907.
