Pincushions and Needles Don't Mix

Halfway through de-needling the stuffing.

I recently picked up a homemade pincushion out of the trash because I was interested in finding out how it had been made,

I carefully pulled out all the pins that were sticking out of the top, but when I had taken off the cover and started to separate the stuffing, I found the inside was full of sewing needles. 

I took a handful of needles out, then decided to count the rest: there were over 70 needles!

OK, I already have enough sewing needles, but finding all of these in a pincushion that only had about a dozen pins sticking out of the top was sort of like finding treasure.

And I can't help wondering if the person who had this pincushion wondered what was happening to her needles.

Lesson here is not to put needles into deep pincushions - use a needle book or just keep a few out at a time and put them in those little emery* pincushions or emery strawberries. 

*They are traditionally filled with emery, which is supposed to help keep the needles sharp. Because they are small, your needles won't get lost, but there is a very real possibility you will prick your finger if you are not careful.