If I Had My Own Blue Box:

With my fancy for sewing cases and needle-books, of course I am always looking the sewing accoutrement to go inside. For some odd, unknown reason I am particularly fascinated by two of them – bodkins and thread winders. I’ll touch on the bodkins sometime in the future. Today I want to talk about a great source for thread winders. I found Scarlets Scarab’s  website sometime back. There was something about the warmness and color of the materials they choose and the lines in the work that greatly appealed to me.  I finally put in a sampling order last Friday.

They arrived this week.

I couldn’t be more pleased.

As I said, I ordered an assortment of thread winders. This included both bone and horn in their flower, square, wheel, crab-babies, smu, and fancy thread winders. Kim, the proprietor, also included one of their fish and large thread winders. Can I say I just love the fish? It is beyond adorable. One of the things I like about the thread winders themselves is they are handmade. You can see this in how the symmetry isn’t quite perfect. I rather like that. I also like the smooth texture and fine shaping. I greatly prefer the thinner profiles of these over other bone or horn thread winders I’ve seen. They are easily half to a third the width with a smooth edge. Visually, I prefer the shape of the crab-babies, the smu and the flowers. Once I wind some thread on them, I’ll share my thoughts on which seem to be the most practical. (Hopefully, that will be in the next couple days.)

There are several more items on the site I would love to order including their awls, the bone thimble ornaments and, the long horn hair pin. I also think Dan might have to get some dice for Christmas. I wonder if he would like the compass.

Addition:
I’ve been playing with the thread winders & have a few thoughts. For a larger amount of thread such as you would have in a full sewing basket, I think the square and flower thread winders are the way to go. See how on the square I have thread started at the small crossing? I think this thread winder will hold a good amount of thread in those notchs nicely. On the flower, the winding starts at the crossing but then can also use the dip in the petals. For sewing cases, I think the petite crab-babies are an excellent choice. They hold a nice amount of thread and will tuck into a case easily. The smu has the notch which is helpful for holding the end of the thread.

As the first copies of Fanciful Utility arrive this week in people’s mailboxes, I am eager to hear first thoughts.

Please share them if you like.

It is ready!

Please hop over to the Sewing Academy announcement for all the details on Fanciful Utility and how to order.

I am so excited for you all to see this book. It is 180 some pages filled with over a hundred illustrations and templates for 68 project variations.

Fanciful Utility: Victorian Sewing Cases & Needle-books

Take a look at the lovely Video Liz has put together…

… there is a special announcement at the end!!!

Something odd has been happening lately. Over and over, I keep running into theorem pieces. It is even happening in the oddest of places including the dressing room of a second hand shop. (Granted, I know the manager and suspect she is why it is there.) The first little piece that I can recall is the cutest little shell pincushion at an antique show. The design was faded to almost not being there. Then came several more similar pincushions in a photo with very bright flowers still on the velvet. A couple weeks later I noticed the one in the dressing room. A few more glimpses later, I get a message from Eileen with a link to a photo in the OSV collection which has several items with small pieces of theorem.

All these little run-ins is making me quite a bit camp sick because theorem used to be a hit among the Pioneer Days campers at Stone Tolan House.

With that in mind, I just have to make some of these little shell pincushions with the theorem. I’ve been wanting to make the pincushions with the shells. I even have shells saved from our first anniversary. Now that I’ve been seeing so many with the theorem, I just have to do that bit as well.

This little sewing case is darling with its theorem just inside the cover. It is also rather unusual to see the large pocket on the back side.  

I meant to get this post together over a week ago, but I’ve been non-functional sick. I just had a conversation that reminded me to put this together. This is one of those posts I’ll be adding info and image to over several days.

While at the Geneseo Kiwanis antique show, I saw a display of Shaker or Shaker style work boxes, aka sewing baskets. (I do wish I had my real camera rather than my camera phone for you all.) None of these boxes are dated.

In this box we see a green silk lining around the sides and bottom. The needle-book is a woven straw tied with ribbon to the box. There are two pincushions one in silk and one in an off-white velvet. The exterior shot shows the green ribbon ties which likely held other accessories in place.

This box has a creamy silk lining without any pockets evident and a single tie to the front right.

If you look online at reproduction shaker boxes, you will see some such as this one  with drop in trays including trays with thread spool pegs. As much as I love the idea of keeping my thread neat, I have yet to discover whether this version is appropriate for the mid-century.

This is a Shaker style sewing box finished by Bevin. (The box itself was made by the Rapones at GCVM.) She lined her box and lid. Inside she has a scissor’s case, pincushion and needlepages.

Now, this has little to do with the above Shaker or Shaker style work boxes. This is just another sewing box I happen to love the look of and would really like a reproduction of.