pin cushions - can a girl ever have too many?

I have a thing for pin cushions. I love looking at them, handling them. I don't have enough, and I will make more. But for now...

Here's my current collection of pin cushions. They're all different and I love looking at them; maybe you will, too!

(Note: NEVER squeeze a pin cushion, no matter how tempting it may be!)

My pear (about 10 inches high) won first prize in the 2008 Montana State Fair. It's a CrabApple Hill design that I started with my stitching group in Washington. I used a real twig for the stem and silk for the leaf.

This side is blue (purple?) bells.

This side is lavender.

Roses.

A pin keeper. I discovered this "recipe" on Mary Jane's web site and gave several (loaded with stitching goodies) to my Billings Proverbs 31 friends. Each had different fabrics, and everyone got to choose the one they liked best. All supplies were the same - needles, thread, thimbles, finger protection, embroidery floss, tape measure, straight pins, quilting safety pins, etc. They were great fun to put together.

Nadara made this cute little helper from a bottle cap; isn't she clever! It slides onto any finger and is great for mobile sewing!

This is a "biscournu." It's two squares sewn together with the corners of each square right in the middle of the sides of the other square. Does that make sense? Lay the two squares right sides together, then skew them so they are offset; then sew and turn right side out. Makes an interesting shape when finished.

More squares, again offset. From one of Julie and Mandi's quilting books.

Ain't she cute? bawwk, baawwwck!

I saw the "recipe" for this one in a sewing/quilting mag; had to try it. It uses circle shapes; the two bottom circles are very large, and gathered into yo-yo shapes.

This one is my absolute fave. I love the soothing green, and I use it exclusively when I sew on my machine. I put beans and lavender in ALL my pin cushions so they smell wonderful as I stick pins in and they don't slide away.

Mandi arranged my glass-head pins into fleurs and I make sure I don't disturb them. (I removed the pins I actually use for the picture.)