Arts & Entertainment

Local Artist Pins Down Hobby with Pincushion Collection

Although it was started on a whim, Upper Moreland artist Elaine Klawans takes her 1,634-pincushion collection very seriously.

Upper Moreland fabric sculpture artist Elaine Klawans used to help her husband collect lithograph tins.

Her husband, Alan, a digital photography artist, has a collection that fills the walls of their quiet Willow Grove home.

Alan’s many tins are literally shining examples of bygone days, and range from antique chewing tobacco containers to children’s pails with lithograph circus scenes.

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“One day I came home, and I said, ‘Oh I’ve got this wonderful tin for you!’” Elaine recalled. ”And, I gave it to him, and he looked at it and said, ‘Yes, I have it right there on the wall.”

This was 1971, the same year Elaine Klawans decided to go and look for something else to collect.

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“I have to collect something for myself,” Elaine declared that year, but then asked herself, “What was it that I liked doing?”

As a fabric sculpture artist, Elaine’s passion is to create using a needle and thread.

“People used to do a great deal of sewing,” Elaine said. “And, pins were a very important part of their lives.”

She said that there is such a wide variety of sewing paraphernalia that it was difficult to decide on what exactly to collect.

However, she soon narrowed her options when she realized she already had a small collection of miniature pincushion shoes.

Soon Elaine went to work employing the same skills she used with her husband's tins in hunting for favorable pincushions.

While hunting for pincushions is not the full focus of her attention, Elaine does frequent antiques shops, antique conventions, E-bay, thrift shops and even house sales in order to add to her collection. She also keeps a sharp eye out while on vacation.

During her searches, Elaine started collecting more than just pincushion shoes (of which she has over 100), in fact her collection started branching off in ways that only made sense to her.

“I only buy things that I like,” she said. “They’re all sentimentally prized.”

 

The Latest Count

Her latest count totaled 1,634 pincushions, most of which are contained in four large display cases around her home, among other artwork she and her husband have either collected or created.

Most of her collection is unique, with few replicas or series displayed. Among the series she does own are that of a "three-little-pigs" theme, of which she found seperately, years a part. Currently, in another series, Elaine has two of Disney’s “Seven Dwarfs” pincushions.

“That means there are five more somewhere in the world,” Elaine said. “It’s fun to look for these things.”

Another series is more sinister in nature, as in one display case there are examples of historic American propaganda, featuring prostrated figurines of wartime figures, including “The Kaiser” of WWI, Hitler, Mussolini; and even more modern figures including Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

One can only guess where the pincushion portion of those figurines is located.

Other pincushions include pincushions made of seashells, polished coal or even salt figurines made to look like Terriers. There are several pincushion dolls, including an American Indian doll in a white wedding gown, a 1976 Betsy Ross doll or the once popular “Madam Alexander” dolls.

Still more pincushion examples include a Pillsbury flour sack, a Queen Elizabeth inauguration keepsake, an American Indian pincushion made of porcupine quills, carved ivory from France and pincushion post cards, some of which date back to the early 1900s.

“They really were post cards, and they really are pincushions,” Elaine said.

 

What is a Pincushion, Anyway?

But, with such a variety of pincushions made, it begs the question, what exactly makes a pincushion, a pincushion?

“It’s anything you can stick a pin in,” Elaine said with a small laugh. “Whatever catches my eye.”

Elaine explained that there are technically two major kinds of pincushions, one where the pins stick into a fabric and the other is called a “pin-pack” which has pre-made holes for the pins.

In one case, Elaine had an accidental pincushion pickup when she purchased what looked like a black heart pillow, only to later realize that it was a WWI pincushion used by recuperating English soldiers; as she noted that the “pillow” contained the soldiers' regiment.

“I didn’t know what it was, but when I saw it, I just had to have it,” Elaine said. “You know I just love these things.”

 

Volumes of Catalogs

Equally as impressive are her volumes of catalogs for her collection. The catalogs are hand-written and are meticulously detailed using a numerical system that correlates with each pincushion in the collection.

 “I still haven’t found a good way to catalog them,” she said smiling.

When asked if she’ll ever convert her catalogs to a digital database, her smile was accompanied with small shrug.

”It’s too late for that,” Elaine said. “I didn’t even think of it until there were too many.”

 

On Display at the UMFPL

From now until the end of March, the (UMFPL) will display 67 pieces of Elaine Klawan’s vast pincushion collection.

“She’s local, educational fascinating and colorful,” Margie Peters, UMFPL director said of Elaine. “And, that’s exactly what we want.”

According to Peters, the newly renovated library is interested in becoming the township’s community resource, including for the arts. Peters said that the library will share its display cases with local artists, whose art is of an historical and educational nature.

The Klawans, who are both strong supporters of the UMFPL, currently have .

Elaine said that the pincushions displayed at the library aren’t necessarily meant to share in their historical significance, although all 67 pieces do have such significance, but rather they are simply fun to look at.

“I love every single one of them,” Elaine said. “They each have a story to tell.”


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