Forget Me Not, Large, Early 20th Century Soldier Made Heart Shaped Folk Art "Sweetheart" Pin Cushion colonial treen salt shaker particularly a bit of loss

particularly a bit of loss to the tips of the ears and a little paint loss to one side of the face

which embody both the great aspirations of their maker and the impossibility of exactitude when doing things by hand

but also great for holding long paint brushes

and looking at it makes me at least want to sit down and make precise

Forget Me Not, Large, Early 20th Century Soldier Made Heart Shaped Folk Art "Sweetheart" Pin Cushion colonial treen salt shaker particularly a bit of lossA large and a bit over the top pin cushion, which I really like knowing was most likely decorated by a man. Sawdust stuffed hearts like this are called "sweetheart pin cushions" and were made by soldiers convalescing in hospitals, primarily in England, where they were apparently the brainchild of Queen Victoria, who thought that soldiers might find crafting these to send home to sweethearts a happy distraction. This one I believe dates to WW1 or so,