I’ve recently acquired a number of pieces from a long-time a private collection of make do and needlepoint pincushions. It is a fabulous collection that I’m pleased to offer these wonderful pieces. Ms. Hardy enjoyed these pieces for 30 years and you can see that she has an eye for the best!

Speaking of the best, I think this fun and artistic pincushion if the best of the bunch! The pincushion is shaped like a jester’s hat with each arm pieced of blue, pink, green & melon colored silk and elaborately embroidered. Braided wool cording sprouts from the top. I’ve shown you in one of the photos that the artist who made this wonderful make do echoed the shape of a flower in the patterned glass base with her design—right down to the sprouts on top. The pincushion is trimmed with clear glass beads and knotted (as in macramé) wool thread trim. The clear pattern glass base is likely the base of a fluid lamp. Condition is fairly good with quite a bit of shattering to the silk and a chip at the bottom edge of the base. But all is stable and this make do is so extraordinarily artistic that the apologies are of little consequence. I’m not a glass person and can’t tell you what the pattern is, but I’d love if anyone who knows Early American Glass would contact me about these make do pincushions with the glass bases. The make do is an imposing 9" tall x 5" diameter base. The pincushion spreads to approximately 8". It is large enough to be the centerpiece of your make do or sewing collection.

#5785    Sold

Provenance: Collection of Roxanne Hardy; ex-Richard Larson.

References for Make Do:

Baseman, Andrew, “Past Imperfect: the art of inventive repair” http://andrewbaseman.com/blog/
Naetzker, Donald P., Waste Not Want Not: The Art of the Make-Do, (self published) 1986.