Making a Coronation Pincushion

Hello April and hopefully Springtime too. This is a fun post that was never really on my schedule, but as the big day approaches, it seems like the right time to pop it out there in the world. You never know who out there might be inspired to make a Royal souvenir. Before I began writing about this project, I thought a lot about my motivation for making such a thing as a Coronation Pincushion. I am not really a fan of the monarchy as an institution, but I love history and it is an inherent part of being British for sure. I wondered what kind of support this new king has in the modern world and how weary are we of pageantry and parades after last year, which saw both a Platinum Jubilee and a royal funeral. As the event approaches, I confess I have enjoyed reading and hearing about about some of the historical elements of the Coronation process and the ancient traditions that go with it. Most people cannot remember such an event and the mystical parts of the ceremony seem from another time and place. Will modern day London be able to conjure up some of this magic for the anointing of a King. Well, whatever, there will be a little piece of memorabilia in my sewing room…even if it did come about it a rather haphazard and unplanned way.

Most afternoons in the sewing room, while I work, I listen to BBC Radio 4. They have any amount of fascinating programmes on there and I am always surprised not just by how much I learn, but also how much I like features about technology and science as well as art and literature. A few weeks ago I heard a programme about marketing and neuroscience and how researchers believe you have a ‘buy’ button located somewhere in your brain and how marketing companies pour millions of dollars and euros into trying to find out what and how you are triggered to buy things. I am not a huge shopper generally, but sometimes I see an idea on instagram that does trigger me to push that ‘buy button’ and this is an instance of this and how it amused my family with it’s consquences. What you might think, do all these ramblings have to do with a Coronation pincushion….well…. I saw on an instagram story by someone that they had used a rustic crown candle holder to make a charming pincushion. It was a fleeting image that my mind somehow hooked out and retained and for a week or so after, I was mulling this idea over in my head. What a fun idea for the Coronation I thought. Of course, as usual, I couldn’t find the original instagram post again, but I set out to find such a candle holder and thought I had spotted the perfect thing (link at the bottom). I ordered three, thinking that I would make a couple as gifts for sewing friends. Then I got flu and was actually bed bound for a few days (most unlike me) and when I came downstairs, a large box was waiting for me. What on earth…..

Let’s just say the candle holders were way larger than I had in mind!

I didn’t dislike the crowns though, so set them to one side to ponder. My first thought was to send one to my sister who is fantastic at flower arranging and I figured that she would enjoy to create a table centre arrangement with it for Coronation day. I await to see what she does with it. This idea seemed not a bad one, so I figured I would do the same with one of the remaining ones : floral arrangements are not really my thing but with a candle in the middle, how hard can it be?

The remaining crown sat on my cutting table for a few weeks. It so happened that it was standing next to my tuffet pincushion. This is one of my all time favourite makes and is from a kit and pattern designed by my friend Sylvi Sealy of Sew Colourful (link at the bottom). One afternoon, I picked it up and it sat just perfectly in the crown base - I couldn’t believe it. I had my pincushion after all.

So I set to work to make another, more appropriate mini tuffet. I used some deep purple Oakshott cotton and a remnant of purple shot silk to make the tuffet body. The colours are very similar but the different play of the two different textured fabrics just adds a little depth and shading to the crown pad.

Once it was together, I pondered over the decoration and decided upon some simple lines of seed beads to add a majestic flavour to the project.

Making something like this is not just fun and celebratory, but in some way, perhaps you are creating an heirloom….I mean how cool would it be to have a pincushion made for Queen Victoria’s Coronation for example. With this in mind, I felt that I needed to make sure it was marked for the occasion, so the crowning button was the perfect place to add some detail.

A little gold thread and some tiny stitches and it was a done deal. Constructing the pincushion was straight forward with the pattern instructions and for the wooden base, I used an old lid that was left over from a pot that had broken. With two small holes drilled through it for attaching the button, I felt it would work. Can I just say, if you buy the kit, all this comes ready prepped. In some measure, it seemed that things did come together rather well and suddenly, I had my Coronation Pincushion, even if it was so very different from how I envisioned it would be.

As the Coronation approaches it is a time to reflect and look back in history and a thousand years and more of monarchy. Whatever you might think of the institution and it’s place in the modern world, it will no doubt be a historic day that I am glad to be able to witness. My pincushion is a very grand addition to my sewing room, but tremendous fun and perhaps one day it will be part of the legacy of all my sewing endeavours.

Useful links:

For the mini tuffet pattern and/or kit click here to reach SewColourful

For the crown candle holder click here to reach Brown & Ginger

ps. I know that they have removed the ‘Koh-I-Noor’ diamond from the Queen Consort’s crown now, but if you want an interesting read - check out the story of the worlds most infamous diamond - it’s an epic story.