Revamp Your Tomato Pincusion...

I have been thinking of making a pincushion, because my tomato just doesn't stay put! I need something with weight. I did think about just gluing some non slip grippy pads on the bottom of the tomato, but didn't think it would really hold up. Not sure if anyone else has the same problem of their pincushion just dancing around their work station when using it, but it drives me insane! So when I poked around for some ideas I found out that the tomato isn't just stuffing. It's wool filled, and the strawberry that hangs from it is actually emery (like your nail file). Apparently the wool keeps your needles from rusting, and poking your pins and needles through the strawberry (say before and after each use) keeps them sharp too. Gertie @ Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing did some research and found out some really cool facts about the tomato pincushion's history.

In my frustration, and after finding out that it's better to just stick to the tomato, I had to come up with something that would allow me to keep it, and get it to stay put. I found these super cute jar ideas, (don't forget, you're not limited to ball jars...check this IKEA jar, a baby food jar, or just use a sauce jar!) and took it a step backward. I just hot glued the tomato on top of the jar! I wanted the jar to be useful for storage, but not for something I need all the time (it would get really annoying really quickly having to take that top off). So I added weight and used it as storage for buttons! I also snipped the strawberry's string and glued it directly onto the tomato. That way it would be a one hand job, instead of two handed. I added a ribbon, and done. Love, love, love my new (old) tomato pincushion!!!