Everyone who has ever sewn has a tomato pincushion... our Grandmothers, mothers, aunts, literally everybody, and I wondered why. Well, according to folklore, people once thought the tomato was a symbol of good fortune and prosperity so when people moved into a new home they placed a tomato on the mantle. Since tomatoes are only seasonal, the ladies would create them from fabric and fill them with leaves and things from the outdoors.
During this same era the ladies did all the sewing for their families and their hand needles were very important, so they placed their important hand needle in their fabric โgood luckโ tomato and the tomato pin cushion was born. When I think of the pin cushion, I see my grandmotherโs wrinkled hands, the bright red tomato next to her, sewing away. The tomato may not bring prosperity and good fortune but it definitely has nostalgia. ๐
