What Is a Pinwheel?

Since the Middle Ages, sewists and embroiderers have needed a place to store their needles and pins—so the pincushion was invented. With the mass production of sewing supplies in the nineteenth century, the demand for such items was even greater. Pincushions also became a way for sewists to express their creativity. We at PieceWork have witnessed this over the years with the amazing pincushions created for our past contests.

The five pincushions selected for the PieceWork eBook, Pincushions: 5 New Pincushion Designs to Bead, Crochet, Tat, Cross-Stitch, and Appliqué.

Pincushions come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This one, called a pinwheel, is flat in shape. The pins stick into the edges of the wheel for easy accessibility. This design is based on an item currently housed in the Royal School of Needlework’s archive collection. A small project like this is a wonderful way to sample goldwork and stumpwork in your stitch practice.

“Stitch a Rose Pinwheel” Pattern

This pattern is found in PieceWork July/August 2004, starting on page 56.

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Delicate goldwork and stumpwork are the main techniques featured in the pinwheel.