Filipino Sewing Kit Pin, a history.

Memories of My Great Grandma, Nanay.

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time with my great grandma. When she wasn’t making lumpia and watching her soap operas, she would be sewing and making her own clothes. She was awesome like that. I would occasionally sit next to her and watch her sew and almost always between us was a delicious Royal Dansk cookie tin! Oh those sweet sugary butter cookies, how I loved them. It didn’t take long for me to reach over and open the tin just to find out that the delicious cookies were replaced with spools of thread, needles, scissors and a tomato pin cushion.

Just like the adobo-filled Magnolia ice cream container in the freezer, I was duped once again! It was like the entire house was boobytrapped. Were there any sweets anywhere?

Ever since I was a kid, I have always seen these tins not as a container for cookies, but as a Filipino sewing kit. I have many cherished memories of my great grandma and her single patterned, handmade outfits. There’s nothing more I loved than sitting next to her at the table and listening to her play by play about what was happening on General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.

I’m sure each culture has their own version of Filipino Tupperware and Filipino Sewing Kits, but when your family is from a third world country, you make the most with what you’ve got and it ends up being passed down forever.

These Filipino pins are not only a way to represent our culture, but a VERY personal way for me to keep the memories of my great grandma and family alive. Hopefully there are others out there with similar memories and our pins are a way to keep them alive for you as well.

Best, Jason