Summer Heirloom Tomato Pincushion

My Aunt Dubby made one for me while I sat there in awe of her. I was in the first grade, learning to sew, and it was all good.

Everywhere I look I see colorful, firm, homegrown, tomatoes - yum! It made me think of that first pincushion and how cute a brand new tomato would be sitting by my old Singer.

If you google "tomato pincushion tutorial", "tomato pincushion pattern", or "tomato pincushion instructions" you will find many sites to choose from. Martha Stewart has a tutorial "Homegrown Tomato Pincushion" where you can see them made in several shades of tomato colors.

SWAP Requirements: 1) You have one partner to make one realistic-size tomato pincushion from cotton fabric (no poly blends) in any of the tomato colors. Stuff it firmly with your choice of wool or polyfill and don't forget to put the green top on it.

2) Send by the swap send date. Send late, and you haven't met all the requirements of the swap.

That's it! Nothing extra required beyond the pincushion. You could of course send an extra one, or pins and needles, extra fabric in reds, or package it in a little basket if you feel like spicing it up. Please be generous with your partner and try to make her day with something thoughtful and well made!

SWAPPER Requirements: Open to newbies and swappers in good standing with ratings above 4.8. No 1's for no-sends unless you contact me with a reasonable explanation. Please, if you don't really have the time, you've already signed up for a bunch of swaps, or lack the time/skills/supplies to make such an item, don't sign up. I will check before assigning partners and ban anyone who has slipped in ratings or is posting on their profile that they will late in sending for any reason. I reserve the right to drop people who either don't meet the requirements, appear to not be following swap-bots rules, or appear to be in some way a problem to other swappers. I always feel badly doing that, but I do it.