What's the Purpose of the Little Strawberry Attached to Pincushions?

Enter the home of anyone who sews, and you’ll likely find a tomato-shaped pincushion with a small strawberry dangling from it. Both fabric fruits are more than mere decoration. But to understand the little strawberry’s purpose, we must first explore the tomato pincushion’s past.

A Brief History of the Tomato Pincushion

The story is often told as follows: In medieval times, when people were nervous about black magic, they placed fresh tomatoes on their mantle in an attempt to garner good luck. But tomatoes weren’t always available. Instead, people used fabric tomatoes as a substitute; those fake fruit then served as pincushions.

It’s a lovely tale, but it’s not very credible.

What is true is that stuffed pincushions have existed since the Middle Ages, and they were referred to as pimples and pin-pillows. People used them to both store and showcase their many pins and needles. The fairly simple items became more popular over the centuries; women were elaborately decorating their pincushions by the 1800s. 

The cushions were then mass produced following the 19th-century Industrial Revolution. People made a variety of fun, even whimsical objects—including the tomato. The summer fruit design seemed to stick because not only was it charming, it also had a practical, easy-to-use shape. 

Why Tomato Pincushions Often Include a Little Strawberry

The little strawberry is more than just a cute accessory to an already cute accessory. It also contains an important material: Emery.

If you don’t know what emery is, take a close look at your nail file. It’s a grainy, gritty material used to keep objects—whether fingernails or needles—nice and sharp. Someone who uses and wears down their needles regularly can simply pop them into the emery-filled strawberry for a quick, easy sharpening. 

But why a strawberry? It’s likely because the fruits use the same red and green materials as the tomato pincushion, making them easy and cost-effective to manufacture. You shouldn’t expect strawberries and tomatoes to be grouped together in a real garden, though: They’re actually pretty bad companion plants. 

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