General

Judi,
The following is a definition of a biscornu I found online. To me, they appear to be decorative only.

"Biscornu are small pillows, made from squares by offsetting the corners of the squares, whip-stitching them together, and stuffing them, so that they form a kind of puffy, eight-pointed pillow. In the middle of the resulting pillow, a button or trinket is usually sewn, pulling the two sides of the pillow together." Written By: Mary Corbet

Here are a couple of examples from gallery owners:

http://www.cyberstitchers.com/galleries/brenda/img/1180267302407.JPG
http://www.cyberstitchers.com/galleries/thepumpkinpatch/img/1186244700980.jpg

Anita Go to top

• Reply from Judi

  Tuesday, August 14, 2007 8:41 AM

  Thanks anita. I had just recently started seeing pictures of them online and I was like "HUH?" (lol) Judi Go to top

I have yet to stitch one. One group I belong to has made them for pin cushions. If done on higher count fabric they can become a siscior keep. They are currently doing a Christmas biscornu, add a loop and it becomes a Christmas ornament. Go to top

Biscornu is just a French word for "irregularly-shaped". They are popular to use as smalls for pincushions, or ornaments.

But they can also be made into a normal pillow size. In fact, the shape makes them perfect for filling that space in the lower back when sitting in a a chair or carseat for long periods. Here are the best instructions I've found for actually assembling a biscornu, and include great photos!
http://www.violarium.com/index.php?main_page=extras&sivu=47&language=en

Kathy in WA Go to top