Pleasurable pin-pushing pincushion!

Way back in 2018 I made two pincushions from kits that I purchased at my local quilt shop.

Peaceful pin-pushing

A fellow quilter in my local quilt group advised me to use Amaranthus seeds to fill the pincushions, recommending them over crushed walnut shells, or any other kind of filler, including sand (yuk).

I did this, and I have loved the weight, feel, and silent, pin-pushing into these pincushions ever since.  So much so, that I have made several more pincushions with Amaranthus seed fillings for friends.

What do I mean about weight, feel, and sound?

Well, I can’t stand the crunchy, squeaky, sound and feel of a needle being pushed into a walnut shell filled pincushion - it really makes me grit my teeth, and sounds a bit like fingernails on a school blackboard (I’m old enough to remember that sound in the classroom).  And I don’t like the lightweight feel of a pincushion stuffed with some kind of soft filler - kudos to quilters that use scrap batting as a filler, and if you are mass producing pincushions for a fund-raiser or something, that is the best way to go - but I like the heavier pincushion for personal use, or for special gifts.

 

Pretty, but gritty, and oh so hard - not touchy feely at all!

How does ‘feel’ come into it?  To me, my pincushion feels like the Beanie Babies I used to buy my children back in the 1990s, and I just love the memories of that time when they were little.  Plus the pincushion is a lovely weight in my hand.

My pincushion is 4" in diameter, 1.5" high, and weighs 295 grams

Recently a fellow blogger (Cathy at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting) who is a prolific quilter and gardener, asked me where I got the seeds from, as she grew several types of Amaranthus, and the seeds that she collected were too light (almost like dust) to use as a filler.

I have to admit that I was pretty mystified about dusty Amaranthus seeds.  I’m not much of a gardener and I have no idea what variety of Amaranthus seeds I use.  I buy mine from my local health food store, where, during the pandemic, they were impossible to source because of supply issues.  It turns out that they are Organic Amaranth Grain which is apparently a nutritious, gluten free grain that can be used in a variety of healthy dishes, and which you can buy online.

The grain I buy looks like this - pin for size comparison

I’ve searched the Internet for any evidence of anyone else using this grain as a pincushion filler, and I have not come across any other material or articles where this is mentioned.  Nor have I read about any kind of allergies to the grain, so if you are prone to allergies, in terms of handling rather than eating, you might want to test that out first.

I promised Cathy that I would follow up and write about my findings, hence this blog. So, the answer to the seed question is that the filler I use is organic amaranth grain. Apparently there are 60-70 Amaranth species that fall roughly into one of four categories: grain, vegetable, ornamental or weed. So there we have it Cathy - I am using the grain species. That was a long rabbit hole to fall into, but I enjoyed the research!

My original pincushion is in daily use, and it is my favourite.  It has never ‘sprouted’ as it has never been wet.  It never loses its shape, and apart from an occasional tweak to sew the button centres tighter once or twice a year, either because the buttons have just loosened, or maybe the grain shrinks a little as they dehydrate further (not sure about this theory) it just sits and does its job ... unless I'm feeling it.

Every now and again I pull out all the pins and turn it over, just to get my feely hit, and to use the other side.  Some people fondle their fabrics (I’m guilty of that too).  And I play with my pincushion - what can I say?

I use a small funnel to fill the pincushion as tightly as I can, before I sew the opening closed, and then I sew buttons into the centre of the cushion.

I don’t have the pattern for this pincushion any more, and if I did, I would link to the source. However, construction is pretty simple.

1. Make postage stamp fabric from 1.5 inch squares.  Sew these any way you like - sew in rows or make 4 patches and join together with quarter inch seam allowance until you have a small 'slab' of fabric. Make the fabric as big as you need, depending on how big you want to make your pincushion.  You will create a fabric with postage stamps that will be 1 inch finished size.

2. Cut out two circles from your postage stamp fabric (use anything as a template to create the size of circle you want - teacup, mug, saucer, whatever, but centre the circle nicely so that your postage stamp patches look good) and make sure you have a quarter inch seam allowance all around the circle.

3. Cut another piece of contrasting fabric for the band about 2 inches wide to finish 1.5" wide once sewn to the circle. Make the length of the band equal to the circumference of your circles, plus half an inch seam allowance for the opening - that is, a quarter inch at each end of the band.

4. Sew the band to one side of the cushion cover circle, right sides together, then sew the other circle onto the band right sides together.  It’s a bit tricky, but it can be done.  Trim the seam allowance to 1/8 inch - for me this meant I didn't have to clip into my seams. Then, turn the pincushion right sides out through the opening that you have left unstitched.

5. Using a funnel, fill your pincushion through the opening in the band.  Stuff it firmly, then hand sew the opening shut.  I sew some kind of decorative stitch on the top and bottom of the band using Perle 8 or embroidery floss.  I’ve also used favourite, and hoarded, Peruvian ceramic beads to dangle off the top on some pincushions that are now gifted to friends.

6. Finally, find two favourite buttons, place in the centre of the top and bottom sides of the pincushion, and using a long needle and strong thread, sew through the buttons (top thru to bottom) and pull tightly so that the pincushion ‘cinches’ in the middle.

If you like the idea of 'peaceful pin-pushing' I hope you try to source organic amaranth grain, and find your pin-pushing and touchy feely days as satisfying as I do!  Let me know in the comments.  I’d be really interested in your experience with using this grain as a filler.

PS: I’m wondering if Fenugreek seeds might work just as well.  They’d certainly be a lot cheaper.  Hhhmmm…… an experiment is looming in sound, weight and feel!

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