I got a great pincushion on etsy that is filled with emery, very heavy and stable. Seller is LoveLaurie. You got alot of great DIY ideas here though!

Made me smile also as my mother (and my x husband) worked at a magnet company that made cow magnets. I still remember the first time that I heard of them. What?????? You gotta be kidding but of course, they weren't. I still have a couple of them. I was a "big city" girl and knew nothing about cows except that was where milk or beef came from. LOL. Do they still use them?

Has antone tried the crushed walnut shells to fill a pin cushion? I saw this at a quilt show but failed to buy because I didn't know if it was a good idea.

My favorite pin cushion is made from pattern McCall's 2452. It's about 7" across. The pin cushion fabric is lined with batting. You then stuff it with fiberfill and pour about a cup of cat litter in the middle. It's great and the cat litter seems to sharpen the pins. Love it!

I put all my tools on my right side and I'm always pulling my scissors off the pin tray. one of those aggravations that doesn't bother me enough to change.

Thanks for starting this thread. I almost bought one of those big tomatoes on Saturday. I'm glad I didn't. I'm going to try filling something with rice.

Sometime ago, I made up a tutorial for a "pincushion and attached scrap bag "and placed it in the tutorial section of Quilt Board - therefore, you can type into the search space pincushion and attached scrap bag and you will see step by step instructions and pictures to make yours. I have made about 85 of these, and those recipients have told me this is their favourite pincushion.

I do not have any extras left over, and it costs about $15 - $20 to mail them to homes in the USA (due to the weight), so not cost effective for me to make them and send them to USA folks, as it would cost you upwards of $40.

I'm 69 & remember making the tuna can pin cushion way back when I was in Girl Scouts. I think we stuffed the bottom of the tin & the lid with old nylons. The lid was left attached to the can & then thin colored foam was cut to cover all sides. Lace trim was glued around the edges. Funny, I had a flashback to these when opening a can of tuna last week.

The pin cushion I liked the best was: the base was made by a furniture manufacture and was a round with a well of about 1/2inch in the middle . Intl this well fitted a polystyrene ball cut in half. Cover with velvet. It was great. But if you pushed pins into the same place too often made a whole. Have base but cannt think how to or what to use for top.

....... so you were one of the vulnerable ones to be told that those magnets were for sticking cows on to your frig!! :D

Yes, indeed ... they are definitely used in livestock still.