Tool (for needlework) (Pincushion)

Description

This traditional Mohawk Iroquois beaded pincushion, shaped like a bird, is comprised of a cotton twill body and decorated with raised beadwork. A group of five cloth beads, attached to a wooden perch with a beaded strand of seed beads, was originally attached to the base of the bird. Beaded bags, purses, and pincushions such as this one were highly popular objects made for the souvenir market in New York state during the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. The type of beadwork used on this cushion, known as "raised beadwork,” is unique to the Haudenosaunee of New York state and Ontario. While sewing, the beadworker overloads the threads with beads, pushing (or raising) a number of beads above the surface level of the object. This pincushion was probably made at Kahnawake, the Mohawk reserve across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal.