tomato pin cushion

I was looking at my pin cushion the other day and wondering why the hell traditional pin cushions are made to look like tomatoes…
So I went to the all knowing google and asked that very question and, of course, it turns out I’m not the only one curious about this strange design…
here is what i found…

“People used to believe that placing a ripe tomato on the mantel when first entering a new home guaranteed future prosperity. Since tomatoes were not available year-round until recently, families moving into new homes often substituted round balls of red fabric stuffed with sawdust or sand. These balls were also used as pincushions, which explains–if you ever wondered–why your grandmother’s pincushion looked like a tomato.”

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