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by Lesley Storts

Category Archives: Salt Cellar Pincushions


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Salt Cellar Pincushion Videos and Tutorials

I recently created a small batch of five salt cellar pincushions from the glass I rediscovered in my stash. When making these videos, I had to troubleshoot three different issues that I have become accustomed to when making pincushions and I wanted to share my process. The first video, Salt Cellar Pincushions – Batch of 5 – Made from Glass Stash (first link below), has an introduction and only shows a quick make of all of the pincushions. The other three videos with their specific topics are listed below:
—Square Jadeite Salt Cellar Pincushion (second link below) – shows how to make a pincushion in a square vessel.
—Brown Glass Owl Pincushion (third link below) – changing fabric mid-make.
—White Milk Glass Hen on a Nest Salt Cellar Pincushion (fourth link below) – creating a pincushion in a shallow and oval vessel.

You can access each video below:

Batch of 5 pincushions
Square Jadeite Salt Cellar Pincushion – shows how to make a pincushion in a square vessel
Brown Glass Owl Pincushion – changing fabric mid-make.
White Milk Glass Hen on a Nest Salt Cellar Pincushion – creating a pincushion in a shallow vessel

Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎


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Two Pincushions plus a Handpainted Dish

I recently went through a box of glass, mostly salt cellars and other small vessels, and made a couple of pincushions with glass found in that box. I used a clear glass mustard dish with a lid and a clear glass salt cellar. I found a hand painted dish while antiquing that measures around six inches in diameter and has a lip around the edge. Pairing the dish with pincushions as a catch-all for sewing notions, etc., is another way to up-cycle and enjoy unique pieces of glass, pottery, or china. The hand painted Imari dish with gold highlights is an elegant dish and prompted me to look for fabric with metallics blended into the pattern and fabric. I had many fabric choices, as you can see in the video, but decided on two that I felt best complimented the dish.

Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎


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YouTube Video Making a Salt Cellar Pincushion

I have been asked for many years to create a video of how a salt cellar pincushion is made. Some of the parts of this video are sped up, but all of the steps are still included within the video. I have a pattern on Etsy that has the details of making these little pincushions. Click HERE for the link or find the link at the top of the blog under Etsy Shop. This is a fun pincushion because of those rainbow gummy bears. They are all lined up and look like they are ready to dance. Making these little gems is so fun because you can complete a whole project in a short amount of time AND utilize what you have made. They also make great gifts! I enjoy making the pincushions and learned a lot while making this video for YouTube. I hope you enjoy the video.
Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎


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Figural Stove Salt Cellar by Central Glass Co.

Figural Stove salt cellar produced by Central Glass Co. and made into a pincushion.

I have been working on a batch of salt cellar pincushions based around a food theme. The stove salt cellar is unique and goes along with the theme. I wanted more information so I tried an internet search but could not find a single picture of the stove. I thought that was strange! I have 2 books that I use for research and found the stove referenced in each book.
Salt Cellar Name: Figural Stove or Stove salt
Year(s) Produced: 1880-85
Glass Maker: Central Glass Co., located in Wheeling WV.
The Open Salt Compendium labeled the salt cellar as extremely rare and 5,000 Open Salts stated that the salt cellar was only made in one size and never reproduced.

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Halloween and Fall Pincushions

It has been a few years since I made a fall and halloween themed pincushion batch. After collecting vessels, fabrics and a variety of glass beads, I planned this batch early enough to have it ready at the beginning of fall.

You can find my beaded pin tutorial here. In that post, I give a lot of sources for my beads and pins. This batch was especially fun since the beads and pins literally match one another.

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Squirrel on Stump Salt Cellar

In September, I created a fall/autumn batch of pincushions. I used an amber glass squirrel on stump salt cellar for the base and fabric from Robin Pickens Forest Frolic line for the pincushion. There are so many appealing details about this glass including its color as well as the fine detail in the glass such as bark on the trunk and fur on the squirrel. Also, for its size, the glass has a nice weight to it with a thick base. This glass was reproduced by the Guernsey Glass Company of Cambridge, Ohio. The Open Salt Compendium states that the original mold was created by Gillinder Glass around the 1890s. And according to Ed and Kay Berg of Salty Comments, their research shows that Gillinder Glass was the originator of the mold.

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Boat Salt Cellar Pincushion with Tula Pink Night Owl

After many years of purchasing salt cellars, it is sometimes hard to remember where I originally found a piece. This gray glass footed boat shaped salt cellar has been in my glass stash for quite a while. Surprisingly, it has been a challenge to find fabric for this piece. As I was creating a batch of pincushions from Tula Pink’s Moon Garden line, I realized that the background was gray in her Night Owl in Dusk print.

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»Patty Young Fabric and Pincushions«

My latest batch of pincushions was made using Patty Young‘s fabric line, Lucy’s Garden, by Riley Blake Designs. In an Instagram post, Patty talked about her inspiration for this colorful line. I realized after reading about Patty’s inspiration, that there is a definite ‘art deco’ feel to the prints in this fabric. That element is so appealing to me and probably one reason I really like this line. In addition, I have a daughter named Lucy who was named after 2 grandmothers – so I really like that name.

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»Robin Pickens Fabric and Pincushions«

Fabric designer and quilt pattern maker Robin Pickens has created several lines of fabric with Moda Fabrics. I used fabric from Painted Meadow, Dandi Annie, and Dear Mum to create this batch of pincushions.

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