Did Your Grandmother Keep Her Needle In A Calander?
By villageanne
@villageanne (8553)
United States
February 25, 2007 7:30pm CST
I am always looking for a needle and cant find one when I need it. I have several sewing boxes but the needles are always somewhere else when I need it. I remember my Grandmother used to keep a needle stuck in the calendar. When you had a splinter in your foot or hand, she would grab that needle and talk it out. She also had a pin cushion that looked like a large teacup with a homemade pin cushion stuck inside it. She used it for decoration and to keep stick pins in. I had forgotten about her tea cup pincushion until I found this pattern to make one. It is just so much like hers was. I must have one. It looks so easy to make. All you need is a teacup and saucer, material, batten, steel wool pad, hot glue gun and glue sticks, needle thread, ribbons or beads to decorate with.
It is just so cute and usable in any décor. You will never loose your needle again.
Directions and picture can be found here:
http://sew-whats-new.com/CMS/content/view/28/45/
Did your grandmother have a pincushion that you remember?
Where do you keep your needle?
7 people like this
39 responses
@anjalisk2005 (1492)
• India
26 Feb 07
hmmmm...looking back at things long back ....yes my granny had a needle stuck to the calender and also she a pin cushion.stange that all granny are the same...my graNNY used ti stick the needle to the bobbin too...and all for us of the same generation have the same problem like not finding the nedle at the right time at the right place!!
2 people like this
@normanlewisword (242)
• India
26 Feb 07
Hey thanks dear for your post. There are a lot of these grandma tips that were so sensible tat none of us ever follows it!!! I too had long forgotten them until u reminded me of them... there were some other sensible practices that grandma followed like... grandma never allowed us to skip dinner. She would force us to drink a glassful of milk atleast even if we were not hungry.
She also used to make penholders with bamboo twigs which for all practical considerations we consider waste. Anyone else with any such sensible granny ideas?
2 people like this
@hertaintedlips (155)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Nope. My grammy never really sewed. But my mom did. She used a tomato pin cushion. :) I would sit on her lap as she sewed and put the pins into the cushion for her.
2 people like this
@20031969 (932)
• India
26 Feb 07
really it is very charming discussion and i watched my home myself that such a thing which is most day to day usuing material for stiching etc. is not kept in right place and when you search it when you need , you will not be able to find. i want to thank my wife that she is not addicted as such habbits. she is very very cautious because i have 5 years baby girl to whom it is necessary to keep every sensative things in a suitable place where she cannot touch it and get harmed herself.
@dfinster (3528)
• United States
28 Feb 07
I remember my grandma used to take us christmas shopping at this store in Chicago. Every year they had a little area where only kids could shop and a store person would help us buy little gifts for our parents and family. One time I bought her a little white ceramic elephant that had a blue pincusion in its back. She still has it to this day and I've never seen anything like it anywhere else.
@sumanyadav (168)
• India
26 Feb 07
wat a superb discussion
hatts off
my grandmother will keep needle not 1 more than 2....to calender
2 people like this
@akash_ain (387)
• India
26 Feb 07
yes my grnd mother keep the needle in the calender..i keep my needle in the sewing box....
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
26 Feb 07
I always keep a needle stuck in a candle that I have in my craft room for easy access. I have a bin for all of my sewing supplies, but of course the drawers are not labeled and hence makes for a difficult search when in a hurry. I also keep a needle and various black and white thread wrapped around a piece of cardboard in my purse for mending emergencies. That has been a life saver on many occasions.
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
26 Feb 07
My grandmother had a small stuffed chair, made of fabric, cardboard and stuffing. It was so cute. It liften and under the seat was storage for spools of thread etc. The seat had the pins and needles. I think I lost it in the housefire. So if you can find a pattern for this I would be eternally grateful. To honor my Grandmoter once more.
My needles and such since our fire are kept in a sewing box I found at a church rummage sale.
Thanks for sharing this today with Mylotians.
1 person likes this
@kitchenwitchoftupper (2290)
• United States
27 Feb 07
Annie, I have never heard of the needle in the calendar - that must have been your grandma's trick. I can't wait for you to make your pin cushion and post a picture of it!
While I have your attention, do you have a really simple recipe for soft sugar cookies? No one here will eat them if they are hard, and the only way i can get them to be soft is to under bake them and I know that's not good. ~Donna
1 person likes this
@jsae29 (1120)
• Philippines
26 Feb 07
I do remember that habit of my grandma! She also puts her needles on the calendar, and she often gets mad at me whenever I rip off the previous months page without removing the needles. LOL Pin cushion doesn't work for her, she hates it when the needles gets inside the cushion.
1 person likes this
@GergOnline (399)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Yea my grandmother used to keep all of her need;es in a pin cusion, and she had her basket of sewing stuff sitting by her favorite chair. When I was little, I always like to play Nintendo(origional) while she was knitting a future gift for one of her grandkids, or she was putting togeather a 1000 piece puzzle. She LOVED doing puzzles. she would put them togeather, and then take it apart and get a different puzzle. After she had passed away, and we were cleaning out and dividing her stuff, we noticed she had over a thousand boxed of puzzles! she used every single one of them too. She was so sweet. And I miss her a lot.
1 person likes this
@jenmomofmatt (2)
• United States
26 Feb 07
my mom had a pin cushion that was shaped like an old boot, and i know that to this day my mom still has it, I had a pin cushion shaped like a little tomatoe untill my dog decided to eat it. talk about a mess! now all mine are just in my sewing trunk
@mentalutopia (7)
• United States
27 Feb 07
Someone sent me an adorable needle book as part of a craft exchange. It's a felt house with embroidery, appliques, and beading for the windows, doors, chimney, lanscaping, etc. Inside it has another piece of felt to stick needles through. It the size of the palm of my hand and absolutely adorable. But can I find it when I need a needle? No. My mother always stuck needles and safety pins on the kitchen curtains. Classy? No. Handy? Yes.
1 person likes this
@bijesh4u (304)
• India
26 Feb 07
so nice topic.....i liked ur mindset...great keep it up...ur topic made me to look back my wonderful childhood...about my granny n all...its so wonderful days...even im remembering that not only my granny everybody in my home used to keep the needles in the calender....
@suscan (1955)
• United States
26 Feb 07
I am always losing my needles,especially the blunt ones needing for weaving loose ends when you knit or crochet. I bought one of those holders with a magnet on the side. I am having better luck with it.
Needles are like socks, I think they are kidnapped by some alien force jut to keep us thinking and make us a little crazier. LOL
Thanks fot this cute idea. I think this will make a great Christmas gift for my friends who sew. It is very pretty.
@alindahaw (1219)
• Philippines
26 Feb 07
Now that you mentioned it, I do remember my Granny sticking needles into the calendar. It was a kind of ritual for her. Once she finished sewing something, she would stick her needles into the eldge of the calendar and loop the thread around the needles.
