PINCUSHIONS, PYNPYLLOWES, PINKEEPERS, and MAKEDOS

I am crazy about pincushions…a lowly serviceable item that we all have in our sewing rooms. Have you ever counted how many you own? The oldest one that I own from my life experiences was given as a favor at the mother-daughter banquet in my home town of Shiloh, Ohio when I was about 9 years old. It is a little felt hat that is actually a needlebook made by the ladies of the church. It is amazing that I still have it given how many times I have moved over the years.

I am a collector by nature and of course have collected a few pincushions here and there. If you count the half dolls, I have probably collected 25.

The first record of pincushions appeared 15th century in England. Since metal pins were very costly and considered precious items, ladies kept their pins in small boxes made of silver, bone or ivory. During the Tudor era, simple stuffed shapes started to be used to house pins. These little stuffed treasures were made of silks and linens and were decorated with tassels and laces.

By the 18th century, new materials were used to house these little “pynpyllowes.” They were embellished with fancy threads, beads, knitted silk and other fine things. During the Victorian era, which is my favorite era, pincushions remained very popular and decorated parlour mantels in Victorian homes. Ladies made their pincushions into shapes such as fans, shoes, dolls, teacups, fruits and vegetables.

Today, the tomato with a strawberry attached is the icon of American pincushions. The attached “strawberry” is filled with very fine grit that is used to sharpen needles. Check out Martha Stewart’s web site. She has tomato pin cushion patterns along with cherry tomatoes.

At NEORQC I learned how to make two new pincushions. First, I took the Peony class from Sue Spargo and made a wonderful pincushion complete with a bird atop it. Then, as a surprise, my friend Rene ( who is a pincushion Nut) made a strawberry “makedo” pincushion for everyone eating at our table for the weekend. Last year she gave us an acorn “makedo.” I happened to have a tiny hedgehog pincushion which I gave her. These are made by the owner of Lacemaker in Cortland, Ohio.

“Pincushion Mania” has hit!!!!

If you are a “pincushion nut” like my friend Rene and me, go and count your pincushions. What a wonderful link to the past with ladies of the 15th century. And do check out our modern day links with Sue Spargo, Martha Stewart, Helen Gibb, Clotilde, The Lacemaker and Vintage Vogue. Happy stitching ladies.

Not Yo' Mama's Yo-Yo's!!

Once more, everything old is new again…and the quilt world is rediscovering yo-yo’s. These aren’t the “walk the dog kind”, but lowly little circles of fabric. Several weeks ago, the Carnation Quilt of Alliance hosted national quilt award winner Karen Phillips Swallen. She spoke about her collection of quilts, including a beautiful yo-yo quilt. This “coverlet” contained several hundred, if not a thousand, yo-yo’s stitched together in fabrics ala the 1920’s. We all ooh’s and ah’d, and thought to ourselves we should could go home and start a yo-yo quilt…or not, as we look at the unfinished projects sitting around our work areas. But here’s the thing. Karen Swallen makes her yo-yo-quilts in her free time, oftentimes while waiting for something else to happen. It takes very little time to make a yo-yo. It just takes hundreds of them to make anything made out of them look like something.

Yo-yo quilts were very popular during the 1920’s-30’s. Women didn’t have a lot of money so they frugally used their fabric scraps in as many ways as possible. Nothing went to waste. A basic 3 to 4 inch circle was stitched around with a needle and thread, and then drawn up to form the yo-yo. Sooner or later, there would be enough of them to make a quilt or coverlet.

At the Aurora NEORQC event last week, the women were sopping up yo-yo makers like water in a sponge, with many of the vendors selling out of them. These makers allow you to make various shaped yo-yo’s, including flower and heart shaped. They are made by an outfit called Clover Company, and sell for around $5.95. I bought a set of yo-yo makers for $24.00 at the Columbus Quilt Show last spring made by another company. So they are around if you want them. We have come a long way when women would use can lids for patterns.

And the old fashioned way still works. If you are computer savvy, take some time and surf the web. You will find site after site dedicated to the art of yo-yoing, demonstrating the techniques that my grandmother used. Talk about marrying the old with the new. As my grandmother said: Waste not! Want not! No new fangled sewing accessories for her. So I am teaching my students this wonderful “new” idea, using a computer, to show them how they did it in the old days.

Here are some links to some web sites relating to yo-yo’s. Next time you go to throw out that 4” square scrap of fabric, think about making a yo-yo. Then when you are through, go walk your dog.

ALL ABOUT YO-YO'S OR SUFFOLK PUFFS

GLENDALE QUILTING GUILD

JAMMIES, CORKS AND SECRET GARDENS; Fun at N.E.O.R.Q.C.!!!!!!

For one weekend each year in February, we quilters get to “getaway” to The Bertram Inn and Conference Center in beautiful, downtown Aurora, Ohio. We plan for this all year as we dream of being away from our husbands, kids, and all of the attendant responsibilities associated therewith. We spend our weekend enjoying our friends, learning new sewing techniques, eating our meals together, and even getting a massage….if we are so inclined.

The quilt getaway event is sponsored by the North Eastern Ohio Regional Quilt Council (NEORQC), an organization that meets four times a year and is made up of quilt guilds from 22 counties from our part of Ohio. Any quilter who belongs to a member guild can attend the weekend event. Pay up front!! No refunds if it snows!! And we all gladly pay.

At the core of the getaway is a “Quilt Challenge.” Quilters are given advanced notice of a theme, and have their efforts judged that weekend. Cash prizes are awarded on Saturday night. This year’s theme was “My Quilted Garden.” This year’s first place ribbon went to Donna Gaier, a member of our local affiliate, the TQ Quilt Guild of Canfield. Donna’s entry was an art quilt which was hand painted and embellished with miscellaneous flowers and fibers. A former member of our Canfield group, Rene Norman, won best of show. Rene now lives in Michigan, and presented a garden quilt entry made completely from wool with an extraordinary amount of handwork.

In addition to the challenge, various classes are offered to allow us to hone our skills. Packing light is not an option as attendees are required to bring all of the accoutrement with them, including sewing machines, thread, fabric, scissors, and anything else you might need for your stitching amusement.

This year’s highlights? There was the unnamed lady who made herself right at home, jammies and all, in the room, in the hallway, in the ballroom. And let’s not forget Sue Bell’s garden hat, filled with dangling corks. We will be polite and not ask her what she had to drink, and how much of it, to get so many corks….but it certainly is a novel way to keep the flies away!!!!

By the end of the weekend, we have all made new friends, learned something worthwhile, exchanged email address so we can share information with each other, and leave looking forward to next year.