Miniatures and Firebirds

Well, as I mentioned in my last post I felt an ebay moment coming on. It turned out to be more of an ebay hour. I didn't find Kermit the Frog but I did come across this rather sweet little sewing machine thimble.

It reminds me of the sewing machine my mum used when I was small. It was a Singer and I can still hear the slightly sing-songy tinkly, clickety clack it used to make as she turned the handle.

This thimble is pewter and has been hand painted. The little handle turns round and the sewing machine flips up on a hinge to show the top of the workbench. As you can see in the picture below, the thimble dimples are under the hinged lid. I wouldn't fancy trying to sew with this particular thimble as it is quite heavy. It's a nice little momento of times gone by though and I couldn't resist it.

It was a very productive hour on ebay as I also came across the red thimble below. It was sitting all alone with only a few minutes left to the end of the auction. It hadn't had any bids. So I felt a bit sorry for it. The picture doesn't really do it justice as it's a lot nicer in real life. Its a lovely vibrant shade of red with an orange bird, which looks to be a bit of a cross between a peacock and a dragon. It has gold detailing to the top and sides. It is called The Firebird and is hand painted wood. Its purely decorative as the sides and top are far too smooth to make a functional thimble.

As far as I can tell it depicts The Firebird from Russian fairytales. A magical bird which is the object of a difficult challenge or quest. Its seen as both a blessing and a curse to the person who captures it.

I'm going to see it as a blessing as it makes a very bright, cheerful addition to my collection!

Bye for Now

Olly

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