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

Comments

Thimbles Silver Hallmarks

Did you know that before the 1880’s silver thimbles did not need to be hallmarked? No? Well, although the silver used was the correct grade to be classified as sterling, the amount used per thimble was too small making the duty payable for the hallmark more than the thimble was worth. This changed in 1884 when applying for a hallmark became mandatory. Hallmarks or any other kind of marking on a thimble helps to date it. Even the little dimples can help you tell how old it is. This thimble is hallmarked. They are a bit tricky to read sometimes as they are incredibly small and sometimes are worn, especially when the thimble has been well used like this one. I inherited this one from my mother-in-law, who probably inherited it from her mother. This hallmark gives the makers mark, CH for Charles Horner; the Lion symbol, indicating that it is sterling silver, the mark for Chester Assay office and the date letter. The date letter is for 1897. I mentioned in an earlier post that

A Passage of Time

Hi all, Time flies doesn't it? Seems like only yesterday when I last posted to this blog. Can't believe it was March 2015! I think I must have been asleep because I have no idea why it has taken so long to post. These thimbles show the passage of time. All of it a lot before mine, I hasten to add. These little ladies show the changes in fashion in the United States from 1900 through to 1947. Originally part of a collection from Avon in the1980s. The four above are from left to right, 1910, 1900, 1928 & 1927. These four are 1923, 1938, 1942 & 1947. The 1920s must have been a great decade for fashion in the US, with 3 examples from that era included in the collection. In fact the 20s were a time of great change and not just for clothes. It was the interim period between two world wars. People thought that with the end of the First World War, conflict was over and there was a new, vibrant, buzz for the future. It was the age of bobbed hair, the Char

A Thimble Trail

Hi all, Lots of places have souvenir thimbles which can be taken home as a small memento of a journey to a far away place, a visit to an historic building, a theme park, or even a popular tourist attraction. Most of the souvenir thimbles in my collection have either been given to me by friends and relatives or purchased in charity shops or from ebay. Rather than being a record of places that I have been they are more of a wish list - a thimble trail of places I would like to visit. One of my friends brought this back from a recent trip to Scotland. I picked the next couple up from Ebay. Both Scotland and the Lake District are places that I haven't been to yet but would like to. That isn't the only thing they have in common. They are both a bit soggy and grey at the moment so maybe that's a trip I should save for summer months ☺. In the meantime, here are some thimbles with a nice bit of blue sky and sunshine... Bye for now Olly

Simply Thimbles

Search This Blog