Sewing and needlework

Pin Cushion Base

4 in across, 1½ in tall — $38

Made to pair with a pin cushion of your own needlework. Without one installed it serves as a small round tray for jewelry or sewing implements.

  • Shaker pin cushion base in antiqued natural finish - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in an antiqued natural finish

  • Shaker pin cushion base in red milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in red milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in black milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in black milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in blue milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in blue milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in green milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in green milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in grey milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in grey milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in pumpkin milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in pumpkin milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in sea green milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in sea green milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in yellow milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    Shown in yellow milk paint

  • Shaker pin cushion base in red milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    In hand, for scale

  • Shaker pin cushion base in red milk paint - handcrafted for mounting finished needlework by LeHay’s Shaker Boxes

    With pins, thread, and a bit of sampler cloth

Craftsman shaping swallowtail joints for a handcrafted Shaker box in Maine, perfect for needlework and sewing storage.
Construction

How these pieces are made

Every piece starts as a log, bought through local woodsmen here in Maine and milled right on my property. Bands of quartersawn maple, birch, or ash, tops and bottoms of quartersawn Eastern white pine. The swallowtail joints are cut one at a time by hand and fastened with copper tacks made on original 19th-century machines.

Painted pieces come in red, pumpkin, yellow, green, blue, grey, black, or sea green, each sealed with two coats of pure tung oil. Natural pieces are dyed to an antiqued tone and sealed with five coats. The copper tacks are darkened for an aged look, and following tradition, the bottom of each painted piece is left unpainted, then dyed and oiled to an aged patina.