“Painted like an apple, plum, or peach”

For those wondering “can I make these for….”, here is a follow up to the strawberry emery post.

This is a clip from the 1833 edition of A Girls Own Book, by Lydia Child:

This comes from Eliza Leslie’s 1831 American Girl’s Book:

“This pincushion is made of a piece of coarse linen, about half a quarter square, cut into two triangular or three-cornered halves, stuffed with bran and covered with scarlet cloth; which cover must be sewed neatly on the wrong side, and then turned. The top or broad part must be gathered so as to meet all round, and concealed by sewing on a small round piece of green velvet, scalloped in imitation of the cap of green leaves that surround the stem where it joins the strawberry. The stem must be imitated by sewing on a small green silk cord. To represent the seeds, the strawberry must be dotted over with small stitches, made at regular distances with a needle-full of yellow silk, and close to each yellow stitch must be a stitch of black.

Emery bags are often made in this manner, but of course much smaller; not exceeding the size of a large strawberry.”

From Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1869, we have this pear: