Monday, February 6, 2012

St. Sebastian Valentine's Pin

Here is a Saint Sebastian Valentine's Day pin for roaming seamstresses. I have always been intrigued by Saint Sebastian; not so much by Saint Valentine. Saint Sebastian is the fellow pierced by a slew of arrows and has attracted the attention of painters and sculptors for centuries.

St. Sebastian by Andrea Mantegna, 1480, Musée du Louvre, Paris

Saint Sebastian is the inspiration for these Valentine pins, each a plush little heart that can serve as both a pincushion and a semi-dangerous accessory.

Polar fleece pin

Pin backing

Velvet heart pin

Polar fleece heart pin on a vintage Pierre Cardin tuxedo

Velvet heart pin on tuxedo

Tiny version of heart pin (the size of a 50-cent piece)

To make your own Saint Sebastian Valentine's Day pincushion pin, draw a heart pattern on paper or use a heart-shaped object you have lying around the house as a template (turns out I had a shocking number of hearts). Use the template to cut two layers of scrap fabric. Use an overhand blanket stitch to sew the two layers together, continuing until you've sewn all but about 1/2 an inch. At that point, stuff the heart with batting and then continue sewing the rest of the heart closed. Sew a pin backing on the reverse. It's delightful, it's dangerous, and it's downright practical.


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