Milk glass hen pin cushion, c.1890

Almost every home in America had a version of a molded glass hen on a nest covered dish. But most homes did not have this clever “make-do” pin cushion, made from just a broken lid. I assume the intact bottom half was reused as a dish, but the top half remains were encased in fabric and cotton batting, crocheted with red “feathers” around the neck and transformed in to a practical pin cushion.

Pin cushion hen measures 4-1/4″ high.

The mother hen pin cushion began life looking something like this.

Photo courtesy of Cornerstone Collectibles

Tags: ,

4 Responses to “Milk glass hen pin cushion, c.1890”

  1. BB says:

    This could be one of my favorites along with the toy fire engine of course! How clever people were.

  2. Marcy says:

    I love this! Necessity is the mother of invention!

  3. Trish says:

    I found a blue glass hen head (and shoulders) like this on a bluff in northern Michigan many years ago. I still have it and now I know what to do with it. Thank-you!

  4. Thanks for your comment. I’d love to see the completed pincushion so good luck with it and please keep me posted.