February's Object of the Month follows a Valentine's Day theme! Volunteer Geraldine has selected a First World War pin cushion, shaped like a heart, it has quite a story behind it!

Sweetheart Pin Cushion

By Geraldine Howell

Object photography by Colin Morris

This sweetheart pin cushion was made during the First World War by a member of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

Sweetheart cushions were not unknown before this time – some late nineteenth century examples exist[1] - but in general they began to be produced as a form of early occupational therapy by wounded and convalescing service personnel in hospitals both in Britain and abroad from 1914 onwards.

Crafting a pin cushion required a certain degree of focus alongside of gentle but careful hand movements that could be restorative for a vaierty of different physical impairments. The act of crafting, carried out in a quiet and peaceful space, could also help soldiers suffering with mental health conditions such as shell shock – a form of psychological trauma caused by the appalling and often unrelenting conditions of conflict.

The clearly serious and complex nature of such trauma – now diagnosed as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – required calming and reflective activities that might counter the stress and horror of combat experience[2].

While sewing would have been considered a task more commonly undertaken by women, the changed purpose and context for this type of crafting appears to be altering gendered preconceptions. The gift of something handmade by a soldier recuperating from combat injury would no doubt have been considered precious and the giving and receiving of such a gift arguably strengthened those all-important links between home and loved ones and hospital life.

Some sweetheart cushions were made from materials that were to hand such as ‘feed sacks, stuffing, pins, felt and cigarette cards’[3] while others utilised kits manufactured for the purpose.

This sweetheart cushion is made from a hard-wearing orange and brown fabric edged with fretwork style lace. Extensively decorated with small beading in fan patterns with larger beading in between, the upper corners have Union Jack badges attached with the motif ‘For King and Country’. The centre of the design is dedicated to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. The Regiment’s title, Battle Honours and insignia are all printed onto a white cotton ground and clearly allude to the maker’s allegiance and service as the primary design feature.

Patriotism and service, therefore, feature in our cushion, as they do in other examples of this type of work. As a keepsake for a wife, mother, family member or friend, this cushion presents an interesting and poignant use of an everyday domestic item to reflect a war identity and memory.

[1] See Museum of Liverpool at Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk, accessed 14^th January 2026

[2] For more on crafting and convalescence see ‘Crafting in World War 1’, and associated sources, posted 27^th April 2020, bodminkeep.org.uk.

[3] National Museums Liverpool. liverpoolmuseums.org.uk, accessed 15^th January 2026