Monday, October 02, 2006

Sewing collectibles









One of my other interesting collections consists of little sewing rocking chairs, and birds. These have been gifts and auction finds, and it is really amazing the variety of "critters" available. The majority of the collection is of the rocking chair variety, where the seat is a pincushion, and there are spindles for spools on each side of the chair. Frequently, there is a slot in the back to hold scissors, too, and some have a little tiny drawer under the seat. The birds are always interesting because they usually rely on scissors to create the beak. Changing the scissors completely changes the "personality" of the bird. I also have a cobbler's bench, a squirrel, some hats, and a rocking horse in my collection.

I finally had to confess to my husband that there was another collection which I managed to conceal from him for some time. He thought my auction purchases of small wooden sewing boxes were to provide some winter re-finishing projects for him. These come in lots of sizes and shapes. In the 1920's, a popular style was shaped from one piece of wood, creating a rounded barrel shaped bottom, with hinged lids on top. There are some shaped like maple sugar buckets on legs. My most recent acquisition has a rounded bottom with a roll top that is seated in a channel that goes completely around the barrel of the bottom. My husband spotted it in an antique shop on our last trip to Virginia. He let me choose between it, and another that had been hand made. The other one was huge, first of all, and in a familiar style, but it also was so heavy, I could hardly lift it while it was empty! So, I went for the unique one. He has one for this winter's projects that looks like a pie-carrier, complete with a scalloped edge. It has a handle and center hinges for the two sides of the lid.

DH has a few collections of his own. He likes to collect old kitchen tools, and they are displayed on a wall in the kitchen. It's a feast for the eyes for guests . . . if the tool is recognized, the comment is frequently, "my grandma had one of those." One thing that throws us into a panic is when someone comments, "I love your decor." We don't think of it as decorating . . . we just put up stuff we like!

Well, I didn't get the pictures where I wanted them, but at least they all made it!

7 comments:

quiltpixie said...

I love the rounded contianer with a roll top lid... It is simply wonderful.

Sweet P said...

Wow! What great collections you and DH have and you display them well.

Melanie said...

A girl after my own heart...I just love your collections...a way to hang onto time...
Melanie

Quilts And Pieces said...

And I can picture them all now in your house! My favorite one still is the one with the yarn and knitting in it! That one is drop dead gorgeous!

Maureen and P.D. the Pet Dog said...

Your collections are wonderful! And displayed so nicely too. When I was in 4th grade I took wood working classes with my brother, we bought a "kit" for 50 cent, made them, and sold them for a dollar....a rocking chair pin cushion! I still have my original, and both of my sisters have the chairs I made for them too. I think mine is like your top shelf second from the left from what little of it I can see.

Melzie said...

Wow I really like the rocking chairs :) Lovely! xoxo melzie

Judy said...

I love that knitting holder/sewing basket? Very cool and the workmanship is amazing too. All of them are wonderful!

Thanks for the tip about the blue markers! I pre-washed everything so nothing should run afterwards.