Simply Thimbles

Hi there, Ironing has never been one of my favourite pastimes. I know it's something that has to be done but I always put it off. Usually because I've found something better to do. There is a pile of washing waiting for me right now, nicely stacked in the airing cupboard, waiting patiently. It's going to be there a long time, or at least until I run out of other clothes. I'd honestly rather de-ice the freezer than pick up an iron. I'm not alone. I know lots of people who hate ironing and find it a boring chore.  Why is that? Why is it such a chore? Is it because it hurts when you accidentally iron your fingers as well as that tricky hem that just will not lie flat? It never ceases to amaze me that we can fly across the globe, we've even sent man to the moon and yet, after all this time, we are still ironing clothes. These days ironing is easy. With fabric conditioners, modern fabrics and hi-tech modern irons, it really is a breeze compared to wha...

Hi all, I find pewter amazing.  It's such a workable material, made up from 90% tin mixed with copper and a few other things that I have never heard of such as Antimony and Bismuth. I had to look those last two up on Google.  Apparently they are chemical elements. Pewter has been around for a long time. Mostly famous for making utensils, tankards and plates, its pliable nature lends itself to souvenirs, models, curios and thimbles.  The designs on many Pewter items can be really detailed. Like this narrowboat... otherwise known as a canal boat or barge. An invaluable mode of transport in the Industrial Revolution. Or this dragon... with its pointed sharp claws and long tail that spans the whole diameter of the thimble. Or these swans... their majestic grace just radiates as they swim effortlessly around the base. It's no wonder that some of my favourite thimbles are Pewter . Bye for now Olly Facebook.com/olwenwhite/ ...

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  pewte r 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 c...

Not all thimbles can be used to sew with. Some are purely decorative. These are a couple of the decorative ones that I have. Technically, the well isn’t really a thimble but it’s thimble sized, has a cute little cat in a bucket and so is therefore, in my opinion, thimble-esque (ish). These three are made out of pewter and are an incredibly small snapshot of decorative thimbles available specifically for today’s collectors market. You can’t sew with these as the decoration gets in the way and they don’t have enough dimples. If using a thimble then dimples are fairly crucial to its success as a sewing aid. Ideally, a usable thimble should have dimples on top and on the sides. It’s amazing how many times it’s useful to be able to alter the angle of the thimble to suit the stitch you are doing. This is why I have never used any of my china thimbles as they don’t have dimples on the sides. Different people like different types of thimbles. Leather thimbles are a popular choice with h...