Casgliadau Arlein

Heart shaped pincushion, decorated with multicoloured beads. Pink and white bobble braid around the edge. Coat of arms of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in centre with the letters RWF in gold. Made by a soldier for his mother. He was killed in the First World War. He was a regular soldier and this pincushion may have been made 1900-14.

The pincushion is tightly stuffed with sawdust. The front is covered with blue 4/1 twill cotton ground fabric. In the centre of the pincushion is a rectangular card, printed with a green dragon, surmounted by the Prince of Wales plumes and 'Ich Dien' motto, and the initials 'R.W.F' (Royal Welch Fusiliers) below. This card is held in place by steel pins threaded with green beads and sequins and light blue and clear green beads on the corners.

Overall, there are three sizes of beads: small, medium and large. The small ones come in green and white; the medium ones in clear green, pink, blue, milky white, white and clear; and the large ones in light blue and clear yellow.

Eight rounded sections of cream/undyed glazed tabby-woven cellulosic fabric have been applied over the top of the blue ground fabric, fixed in place with beaded pins (clear and white beads for the larger sections, milky white and white for the smaller sections). On four of the larger cream sections, gold coloured metal thread has been drawn between a central pin (threaded with clear yellow and pink beads) and the outer ones, fanning outwards like rays. The metal thread is constructed from S-twist cotton thread, which has been doubled-up and twisted together in a Z direction. Caught in-between the twists are narrow strips of metal (a fraction of a millimeter wide) which have been loosely wound around the threads, covering them unevenly. The strips of metal are kinked.

On both curved sections in the upper part of the heart, there are two identical sections of cream silk ribbon with a woven inscription in blue and red (3.2cm wide). Edges are held with pins threaded with white and green beads and light blue and pink beads on the corners. Additional decorative patterns, such as triangles and roundels, made with beaded pins fill the remaining spaces on the front.

The blue ground fabric has been machine stitched to a plain white cotton tabby backing fabric. The weave has thin singles yarns in one direction and thick singles yarns in the other. A heart-shaped piece of blue paper (smaller than the pincushion itself) has been adhered to the backing fabric with liberal use of brown animal glue.

Around the side edge of the pincushion, covering the seam between blue ground fabric and backing, a woven cotton braid has been applied (again held with pins, this time largely threaded with clear beads). The braid consists of a herringbone twill in cream and pale pink. Every 4cm, the weft extends downwards by 1.5cm and is fitted with a small white/pink/maroon cotton pompom.