We researched dozens of pin cushions to find the best one, evaluating them on size, material, and accessibility. Our top pick, the Dritz’s Tomato Pin Cushion, has a polyester fiberfill stuffing that keeps up to 200 pins secure, plus a strawberry-shaped emery that cleans and sharpens your pins. Here are the best pin cushions for all your sewing needs. We love that while the cushion’s polyester fiberfill stuffing ensures the pins stay in place, you can easily pull them out when needed. The stuffing also helps weigh the cushion down, so you don’t have to worry about it rolling around your sewing station. Attached to the tomato is a strawberry-shaped emery, which you can use to clean and sharpen your pins and needles. When wearing it, however, stick to standard pins and needles. Because the cushion is only 1.3 inches high, you run the risk of poking yourself with longer models. But if you want to work with longer pins and needles or just give your wrist a break, the cushion’s flat surface ensures it won’t roll off the table. Take note: Grabbit’s magnetic pin cushion does move easily, and customers who dropped it said the magnet didn’t work as well after. To prevent this, consider adding gripper to the bottom of your dish. The strap is available in two sizes: 9 inches and 12 inches. The size of the actual cushion isn’t particularly large, so this may not be the best purchase for sewers who regularly work with long needles and pins. Though the cushion is smaller than others, it can still hold plenty of standard sized pins. Additionally, since you get three rings in a set, you can easily wear another ring (or two) to maximize pin storage. The jar’s small size makes it easy to fit at any sewing station. To prevent it from slipping and sliding, consider adding some small grips to the bottom. Although reviews for this pin cushion are high, some customers note that it is lightweight. While this is an asset for travel, that does mean it can fall over easily. If you want a pin cushion with more weight, look for one with steel wool or emery filling, both of which can clean and sharpen pins.
Accessibility
A pin cushion holds pins when they aren’t in use, but they don’t do much good if they aren’t there when you need them. It’s important to consider your sewing environment when picking out a pin cushion: If your sewing is designated to a specific room or corner of the house, then you’ll do fine with a pin cushion that can be placed on a flat surface. If you have to move between rooms or, in the case of professionals, clients, then a wearable pin cushion may be more convenient.
Stability
The last thing you want is a pin cushion that can’t keep pins in place or stay on your station. The most stable pin cushions will have flat bottoms and have a little weight to it.
Why Trust the Spruce Crafts?
For this article, Leah Rocketto, a writer who has spent years covering the lifestyle space and searching for products that make life easier, performed hours of research on pin cushions and consulted several sewing blogs about this must-have accessory.
