Thursday, July 21, 2011

Who doesn't Love Pin Keeps

I know most of my readers are Prim Lovers
And I love Pin Keeps so I want to share a few with you and a little history on them

Just look at this Hard Sole Old Baby shoe painted up in American Pride
Yes it is a Pin Keep

Kathy sells a varity of items in her Etsy Shop you will love the Fabric she carries

We have come along way from the standard Tomato Pin Keep most of us remember
These first appeared during the 15th century
Gee that is news to me I had no idea these went back that far
Needles and pins were rare and expensive and before the pinkeep they were stored in
protective cases

It amazes me today at some of the creative efforts put into making pinkeeps
This pinkeep is made to look like a Black Eyed Susan and it sets atop a mason jar to store your items in *How creative*

Deb is a Great Gal and you ** Can Click here to read her blog **

In the Victorian Era the standard tomato pinkeeps were found in parlor rooms.
The ladies of the homes started displaying collections with pride of pin cushions *keeps*
In various shapes Fans, Dolls, Shoes, Fruits, and vegetables

Today's pinkeeps I would say have certainly taken on an amazing change you will see them everywhere in various shapes and sizes and themes
Let me Share another one with you

How fun is this one a perfect collectors choice
This one is by Sue Isn't it Sweet


Now for me the history I remember learning as a young girl with a grandmother and mother that sewed and quilted is that Pinkeeps were the made using the Makedo technique, I suppose we could consider that this is what the more common folks did
My grandmother would make a pin keep out of anything a Sugar bowl that had a broken handle, A cup with a missing ear, etc.
She made her own dresses out of the most glorious cotton vintage fabrics
We are talking the dresses that came down to her ankles and always had long sleeves
And I remember her always having a safety pin attached to the bodice of her dress most of the time by one of her shoulders. I treasure those memories in life
*She would always tell me that you had to keep a safety pin because you never knew when your bonnet strap may come off or your apron tie may tear*
Yes she never went outside without one of those prairie style bonnets on and
the only time she did not wear an apron was when
she would go to market or to a farm sale
And she made all of her bonnets and aprons

You will want to keep reading this post at the bottom I will share with you one of my
most prized treasures, yes a very old pinkeep

The Above pinkeeps I have shared are Prim artists that belong to a wonderful group of very creative women PAFA on Etsy
This month these gals have been holding a Christmas in July Celebration in their shops
So if you would like to do a little early Christmas shopping

And if you have not dropped by Their blog to sign up for the giveaway

We are giving away 11 prizes to 11 different winners on the 1st of August
and right now there are not many signed up so the odds are in your favor of
winning a wonderful Prim creation

And now I know this is a long post but I want to share with you one of my most cherished items it is simple and it is Old
And most of you will argue that it is not a pinkeep but to me it is because that is what
she called it

When I was 17 years old in the early 70's my Grandmother passed away
And my mother got this pinkeep *ok most will call it a needlebook*
It belonged to my Great Great Aunt Lizza
I need to correct this LOL I wondered why it looked strange  It was my Aunt Leena
Someone my mother cherished dearly
I do not know enough about her and do wish I had more history on her
she was around when my mother now almost 90 years old was a young child
*in fact she saved my mothers life at the age of 8
but that is another story I will share at another time*

It is only 2 1/2" x 4" in size made out of old wools the center of it is a piece of
wonderful old silk that is where she kept her needles at the pins were in the wool
And still are today yes those are her pins and they have never been removed!!

I hope you enjoyed my post today and please do tell me if you collect pinkeeps
Brenda

19 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post on pin keepers, and the history.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brenda, Thank you for sharing a bit of history with us this morning! I am sure you must cherish Aunts that was passed down to you! Thank you for sharing a bit of your life with us, and the talents of the PAFA team!
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brenda,
    Thank you for sharing these beautiful pinkeeps. I love the one that was your aunt's pinkeep. What a great treasure to hold.
    Blessings,
    Jean

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Brenda,
    I never new what a pin keep was until I started blogging and everyone was swapping them. Now I think I might have to start collecting them. Thanks for the bit of history too!
    Enjoy your day,
    Barb

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful post Brenda!Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful pinkeeps and the memories... they are awesome.Love your aunt's pinkeep,a treasure for sure.Have a blessed day,Jen

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't collect Pinkeeps as such but seeing I am a trained seamstress I find them appealing!!! Thank you for sharing them with us

    ReplyDelete
  7. In the blogs that I have checked out it amazes me , there are no repeats . What amazing talent PAFA Team on Etsy has !

    ReplyDelete
  8. There are some great pin keeps out there, love making them for friends as gifts. What a wonderful treasure for you to have.

    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow Brenda...your family pinkeep is priceless! I love the witches hat pin keep from the group!
    stay cool.
    patti

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Brenda,
    Wonderful post!
    I love pin keeps.
    Your Great Great Aunt Lizza's is such a treasure. Love the story about your Grandma. Thanks for sharing some of your memories with us.

    Hugs,
    Tam

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well, they say 3 of anything is a collection and I have 8 or 9. Guess that makes me a collector. I just made 4 of those baby shoe pin keeps yesterday but no paint. It's getting hard to find baby shoes. Everyone wears Nike or patent leather--cute stuff. A good old hard-soled walker is a rarity!
    Love the needle book. I've seen other gals do make those but have not ventured to buy one---yet. Isn't it precious to hold a piece of history like that and know how valuable it was to someone in your family? You come from a long line of stitchers!
    :) ★Linda★

    ReplyDelete
  12. Brenda Thanks for sharing some of the pin keeps history. Love the witch pin keep. So many wonderful and talented women of this group.
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh what a sweet bit of family history you shared with us. That is a precious heirloom.
    I do love the pin keeps the PAFA gals make and I have a few of my own and would love to have more. On my wish list they go;o)
    xoxo~Carol

    ReplyDelete
  14. I just love all the creative pin keeps that people come up with.. Love the black eyed susan pin keep top... Thanks for the fun history on pin keeps too.. Hugs, Tina

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a great post Brenda! Thanks for the 'pinkeep' history and for featuring mine, much appreciated. I love YOUR pinkeep, how wonderful to have this treasure from your aunt. I love when you know the history of these items, they are so precious! Thanks for sharing these great artisans from the PAFA Etsy team and for reminding us about the giveaway and celebration! Deb

    ReplyDelete
  16. ummmmm...busted. Yup....I collect pinkeeps, needlekeeps, pincushions, you name-its!! I ADORE them!! Don't have many that have much age to them (although I would love to!!!), but I haven't met many I can resist....Thanks, Brenda, for sharing this treasury - and your history....Your Aunt Leena's is a true treasure!! Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin

    ReplyDelete
  17. Awesome post...thank you for sharing G-G-Great Aunt Leena's pin-keep/needle book with us.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great post on Pin Keeps Brenda and lovely pictures, thank you!

    ReplyDelete

I really do enjoy your comments
Thank you so much