Thimbleflower

Thimbleflower, or Mexican Hat
Ratibida columnifera.

For more information, see The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Apparently this happens a lot.

The Charleston (SC) Mercury,
25 March 1856: issue 9562; col. C.

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St. Louis (MO) Globe-Democrat,
1 November 1875: page 4, issue 166, col. D.

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The Galveston (TX) Daily News,
9 March 1882: issue 301; col. I.

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St. Louis (MO) Globe-Democrat,
1 September 1885: page 6, issue 101, col. E.

Now I know how to clean my thimbles.

Atlantic Cable Thimble

Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, DC),
20 October 1866: issue 16,900; col. F.

Sterling Silver Atlantic Cable Thimble, ca. 1870.
US$51.64; 9 bids, starting at US$15.00.
16 July 2007.

Another auction from one of my favorite eBay sellers, Elegant Arts Antiques. This thimble design is the same as that of the thimble used in the preceding article, so it has since been referred to as the "Atlantic Cable" design.

Thimbles + Washboard =

Music!
OK, maybe not my absolute favorite kind of music, but there are big (?) fans of this sort of thing.
There is a company called Columbus Washboard Company that can supply you with all your Washboard playing needs. They even have a page with links to mp3 tracks of washboard music. They also have a helpful list on how to use your washboard to actually wash your clothes.
[A note: the first item on the aforementioned list states: "It is okay to wash laundry in cold water." When you use Google Language Tools to translate this into French and then back into English it comes out as, "It is okay to wash laundry in cold toilets." Actually, that is not such a good idea. Except maybe in France?]

Russian Enamel Thimbles

This was recently listed on eBay as a Russian silver and enamel thimble. The seller notes that it has "several russian (sic) silver hallmarks."
I don't think so. It is more likely Greek with Russian markings meant to fool thimble collectors. It just doesn't have the craftsmanship of pre- or post-Revolution Russian enamelled-silver thimbles. The enamelling is clunky and the metalwork is neither intricate nor well done.
I'm not blaming the seller. I'm sure the seller thinks--believes-- it's a Russian enamelled-silver thimble. What do non-thimble-people know about Russian enamelled-silver thimbles? What do non-thimble-people know about any thimbles? Maybe that they're used for sewing. They always get the finger wrong, plopping them willy-nilly on the index finger. They don't know.

These are Russian enamelled-silver thimbles:

Sewing

(click to enlarge)
Sewing (also called The Young Seamstress).
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1898.

South Korean Thimble Stamp

South Korean postage stamp
Issued: 24 June 2004
Size: 35 mm. by 35 mm.
190 KRW (Korean Republic Won) = roughly 21 US cents
Part of a set of four: Thimble, Work basket, Bobbin, and Needle case.

Arctic Ice Shot thimbles?

So. I have this little Amazon.com box at the bottom of the page. It's there because the Amazon folks kept sending me emails that I hadn't yet activated my Associates account on my blog. This they must surmise because I have not yet made my first million from referrals to Amazon.com from this blog (The reason I applied for the account was so I could use their book and movies graphics when referencing book- and movie-related thimble stuff. I'd be astonished to have any referrals from this blog. It's a thimble blog.) Anyway, I put the little box in the footer so that maybe they'll note that I've officially "activated" my account.
The idea with the box is that they advertise products based on certain keywords they pick up from this blog. Mostly it's the word thimble, so they usually show one of a few different thimbles they sell. But sometimes it's some other thing, like this one Yoga DVD that pops up. Heaven only knows why.

I noticed yesterday that the little ad was for this Arctic Ice Shot mold (at left), and, as I did with the Yoga DVD, I thought, "What the. . . ?"
But then. . .
Aha!. . . they're like little ice thimbles!
But clearly the gigantic computer at Amazon.com does not "know" that the Arctic Ice Shots are shaped like thimbles. I checked out the listing. The word thimble is not to be found. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
Really.
Hmm. . .

Étui at auction at Bonhams

The Bath Summer Sale
Sale 15046
Bath, England
16 July 2007

Lot 137: A nineteenth century sewing étui; unmarked; the leather fitted case comprising a pair of scissors, a bodkin, pincushion, a later thimble with the motto "Forget Me Not," a tape measure, a thread waxer, and a bradle, the inside lid cover lifts off to reveal a hand written billet doux which reads, "How Can a Pledge So Small Impart the Warm Affections of a Loving Heart That Beats a Love for You?."
Estimate: £150-200.

Update: Sold for £220, plus fees, etc.

All-Star Scouting Report

Official report on existence of souvenir thimbles from Current-Name-of-the-Phone-Company Park, site of the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game: they don't have any. They have spoons.
Also: Albert Pujols: Grow up.

Sarcophagus? Casket? Morbid lot.

The Sunday Sale
Sale 5277
Christie's, South Kensington
29 July 2007

Lot 0086: A Regency red leather sarcophagus-shaped table casket; with gilt-tooled anthemion decoration, enclosing a fitted interior, on later feet; 3½ in. (9 cm.) high; 6 ¼ in. (16 cm.) wide; 4 in. (10.2 cm.) deep; together with a Victorian 'Lady's Companion' in the form of a leather bound volume, enclosing a fitted interior with thimble, tape-dispenser, scent bottle, mother-of-pearl button hole maker and other items, 4 inches (10.2 cm.) high overall.
Estimate: £300-500.

American Belleek thimble sold on eBay.

American Belleek thimble, c. late 19th-early 20th century, from collection of Estelle Zalkin.
US$799.99. 7 bids, starting at US$22.10.
1 July 2007.

Estelle Zalkin wrote one of my favorite thimble books, Zalkins Handbook of Thimbles and Sewing Implements, and wrote a column for the old newsletter, Thimbletter. This thimble was part of an auction of her some of her collection held at Christie's back in 1999. I couldn't have afforded it then, and I can't afford it now.

A Hint for a Thimble?

Daily Central City (CO) Register,
22 December 1869: Issue 127, col. C.

In case clipping shown above is too illegible, the little "poem" says:

I send a thimble for fingers nimble,
Which I hope will fit you when you try it;
It will last you long, if it's half as strong
As the hint that you gave me to buy it.

Fingerhutmacher

Fingerhutmacher.
From a book illustrating various craftsmen.
Stadtbibliothek, Nuremberg.

At auction at Christie's South Kensington

PORTRAIT MINIATURES, OBJECTS OF VERTU, SILVER & PLATE
Sale 5261
Christie's, London, South Kensington
10 July 2007

Lot 0669: A silver-gilt and enamel thimble; Norwegian, twentieth century; the sides with enamelled Viking longboat in a mountainous seascape, with moonstone top; 1 inch (2.5 cm.) high; and a further parcel-gilt Scandinavian thimble, the rim enamelled with white dot decoration below a green crown effect, with mother-of-pearl top; 7/8 inches (2.2 cm.) high.
Estimate: £200-250.

Update: Sold for £240, plus fees, etc..

Lot 1800: A wooden sewing box, circa 1840; rectangular with inlaid tulip motif to the lid and metal feet, opening to reveal a set of gilt metal sewing tools including needlecase, scent bottle, stiletto, scissors, four mother of pearl thread winders, thimble and bodkin all in fitted tray of purple velvet, lifting to reveal a storage compartment lined in ivory moiré.
Estimate: £500-700.

Update: Sold for £240 (hmm...), plus fees, etc..

Lot 0668: A collection of various thimbles; Various nationalities; including many Scandinavian enamelled examples; a 14ct. gold example; and several Mexican examples, some with applied wirework decoration (a lot).
Estimate: £300-400.

Update: Sold for £660, plus fees, etc..

Lot 0705: A musical wooden sewing box; French, circa 1850; In the form of a piano, opening to reveal a part sewing set comprising: a pair of pair of mother-of-pearl handled scissors, a needlecase, a stiletto, a mother-of-pearl thimble and a glass scent bottle, the tray lifting to reveal various sewing oddments including three ivory needlecases, with single piece comb playing two air movement.
Estimate: £300-400.

Update: Unsold.

Sorry I'm so tardy in posting this!

Piercy's Patent thimble sold on eBay.

Piercy's Patent Tortoise shell on silver thimble with gold medallion. Small piece of gold medallion missing; no holes.
GBP 363.78 (approx. US$731.54--ouch!). 14 bids starting at GBP 25.01 (US$50.29).
23 June 2007.

This is another one of those thimbles that is, though highly desired among thimble collectors generally, not one I personally have a big yearning for. Maybe it's more impressive seen in person, but as shown here and in other photos I've seen, it isn't really my cup of tea.

Happy Fourth of July!

Inspector sews up case.

Brooklyn Eagle, 3 October 1898.

I don't think I'd want a thimble with NAG inscribed on it. But that's just me.
The woman involved is a Dr. Nancy A. Guilford. She had apparently landed in Liverpool the previous week, aboard the steamer Vancouver, under the name Mrs. McAllister, of Chicago. She was wanted in the United States on charges of second degree murder in connection with the murder of an Emma Gill in Bridgeport, Connecticut, an affair known then as the Yellow Mill Pond Tragedy.
There had been considerable difficulty in correctly identifying Miss Gill's body. Several people came forth and "positively identified" her body as that of Nellie Lauckery, Marion Perkins, and Louisa King.
Eventually, it was detemined that the body belonged to Miss Gill, a 24-year-old domestic employed in Southington, Connecticut, who'd come to Dr. Guilford for "a criminal operation" (presumably an abortion--this was 1898) from which she died. Her body was then dismembered in Dr. Guilford's bathtub, with the severed parts disposed of in Yellow Mill Pond. Albert "Harry" Oxley was charged as an accomplice "to the extent of being responsible for the condition of the girl and consenting to a criminal operation." I cannot determine the fate of Mr. Oxley, but Dr. Guilford plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison and fined one dollar.
I don't know how many 2007 dollars equal one 1898 dollar, but it somehow doesn't seem to be enough.

The Itty Bitty Apple

This cute little pewter thimble is from KansasKollection.com out of Manhattan, Kansas. It is $7.99, plus S/H. They have other thimbles, ranging in price from $3.99 to $7.99. I like this one best.

I don't want to know. . .

OK. I do want to know. And I'll find out what the heck this thing is. But it's kinda scary. Sort of like that eye thing. Definitely thimble-ish, but scary.

Update: 7/3/2007:
OK, I really don't want to know. . .
Apparently it's called a Millard Thimble Retractor and has something to do with plastic surgery. There's even one with two hooks.
Merciful Heaven! I don't deal well with medical stuff. Ever since my 7th grade Math teacher went on and on about how we'd all sever our Achilles tendons by wearing sandals to school, I get really queasy. Eeeeewwwwww.

Thimble Psycho Gone Fishin'

Taking two weeks off. Mmmmm. . .

Notorious thimble mule nabbed!

The New York Times, 5 April 1870, p. 3.

. . .and a Happy Bloomsday to everyone!

Checks in the Mail

The items pictured above--the checks, checkbook cover, and address labels--are some of the things one can have personalized through Checks in the Mail, a mail order/internet company through which one can get what used to be called "designer checks" (maybe they still are--I just don't hear the term so much). You can pick your own picture (and do a better job of centering it than I did) and choose from about five different styles of checks, including some Disney-themed ones.
You need a JPEG, bitmap, or TIFF image, less than 4 megabytes, between 400 pixels and 4064 pixels wide and between 420 pixels and 2704 pixels high.
The prices for the customized items are:

• Duplicate checks: $17.99 for 1 box, $35.98 for 2 boxes, $71.96 for 4 boxes.
• Single checks: $15.99 for 1 box, $31.98 for 2 boxes, $63.96 for 4 boxes.
• Fabric Checkbook Cover: $16.99.
• Address Labels (set of 144): $9.99

Happy Flag Day!

What is Goofbay?

In the last week I've made minor changes to the layout of this blog. I moved the link to The Breast Cancer Site to the top of my links so that those who get here by clicking Next Blog>> will see it and might click on it before scurrying past the freakish thimble collector blog to something more interesting to them. I deleted the cumbersome Yahoo! "Translate this Page" box I had at the bottom of the sidebar and replaced it with the little flag links just beneath the title box at the top of the page. Again, so passersby can figure out what's up in their own language before they mosey along. (Alas, no Irish flag to translate into Irish!)
The third change I made was to delete the rolling eBay search, which made downloading the page really slow, and which leaves the bottom of the page to Goofbay search box (see above, right; use at bottom of page). So what is Goofbay? Goofbay is a search tool to find stuff being sold on eBay by people who either cannot spell or type as I do: very badly. For example, some people spell thimble as thimbel. Or thimbell. Or they spell the word thimble correctly but really can't type very well at all and don't go back and check themselves even though they really should. (The italicized part above was originally typed as: raekky can't typr very well a t all and don;t go back anf ckeck themselves eveb thugh they really shouf;.) So, Goofbay will search most of the boo-boos for you just in case some special treasure is hiding under the label of thmible or timble. They have other eBay tools: Negative Feedback Checker, Sellers Sold Items & Turnover, Regular Bidder Checker, Users 30 Day Bid List, and eBay Fees Calculator. Remember that the site is British, so it you are not British you might want to click on the appropriate flag at the top of the page just in case you miss something at eBay.com or eBay.ca or eBay.wherever.
There are similar sites to Goofbay. Google eBay misspelling and you''ll find several. IDA Express and Bargain Checker don't have as many variations in spelling errors, and came up with fewer, and completely different, listings for thimble last time I checked. In any case, Goofbay has the blog widget, so I used Goofbay.

La Folie des Dés à Coudre

This book, La Folie des Dés à Coudre, by Frédérique Crestin-Billet, is available through the French website Sajou, which has all sorts of lovely sewing accessories (I especially like their scissors). The title is roughly translated at the site as "Mad About Thimbles." It is paperback, sort of tiny--but not teeny tiny--(6"x6"), and 384 pages, and written in French (bien sûr!). The cost is 15.50€ (approx. US$20.62), plus S/H. One might also purchase this book through the American website, The French Needle, which also has many lovely sewing/needlework accessories, for US$26.00 (sorry, the book will still be in French).
Mme Crestin-Billet has also written a book, La Folie des Ciseaux, about scissors.
Sajou also has its own porcelain "souvenir" thimble in a variety of colors for 12.00€ (approx. US$16.00) each, plus a few other thimbles including some sterling repros from Spain for 30.00-40.00€ (I'm tired of converting Euros).

Tea will be served.

Oddment? Is an oddment like a tchotchke? A trinket?
I like the idea of a Barbaric profusion of thimbles.

Maritime Museum of San Diego

This little pewter thimble is available through the Maritime Museum of San Diego (CA), which is home to several old, historic ships, including an 1898 steam ferry, Berkeley; a 1904 steam yacht, Medea; and "the world’s oldest active ship," the Star of India. They also have some fine replicas, particularly the Californian, the state of California's official Tall Ship, and the H.M.S Surprise, a replica of an eighteenth century Royal Navy frigate.
For loads of money, "established"* groups or individuals may rent out the Berkeley, the Star of India, and the Surprise, and the Californian may likewise be chartered to sail. The thimble, above left, is $7.99 , plus S/H.
The boat (OK, ship) depicted atop the thimble is the Star of India.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego
1492 North Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92101
Ph.: (619) 234-9153
Hours: Open every day.
9 a.m.-8 p.m. Labor Day to Memorial Day.
9 a.m.-9 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day, inclusive.

*"Established" here would include groups or individuals with loads of money.

Lost in Space World

This thimble is from Space World and features the "official STS-121 space shuttle mission emblem," with the names of the seven astronauts from that mission: Mark E. Kelly, Stephanie D. Wilson, Piers J. Sellers, Thomas Reiter, Michael E. Fossum, Lisa M. Nowak, and Steven W. Lindsey. Space World has all kinds of space exploration collectibles. The thimble shown is $4.99, no extra charge for S/H.
There are other thimbles for sale, that may be similar but do not have pictures, such as:

• Apollo-Soyuz Program Thimble ($ 5.99)
• Gemini 9 Thimble ($ 5.99)
• Mercury 7 Thimble ($ 5.99)
• Skylab 2 Thimble ($ 5.99)
• STS-103 Thimble ($ 5.99)
• STS-107 Thimble ($ 5.99)
• STS-41D Thimble ($ 5.99)

I think there may be others, but unfortunately there is NO SEARCH BOX (aaarrrggghhh!) to be found on the website, so these are the ones I found by just noodling around the site. They didn't have one for Apollo 11, the first moon landing, but they did have the Junior Astronaut Wings! Yay! There are about a zillion embroidered patches available.

Augusta Sewing Before a Window

Augusta Sewing Before a Window.
Mary Cassatt. 1922.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York (from the Collection of James Stillman, Gift of Dr. Ernest G. Stillman).
So, there is isn't any discernible thimble in this painting. The point of my posting it here is not that it may or may not feature a thimble, but that it is one of several free e-cards one can send courtesy of Lion Brand Yarn. Granted, the vast majority of the e-cards depict knitting and crocheting, but they are all lovely, free e-cards with great paintings and illustrations of (mostly) women crafting with their hands. They also have free e-cards with "The Art of Lion Brand," which have more whimsical depictions of yarn crafts.

Truman Out-thimbles Dewey!

(Again, click on image to enlarge)
The Dallas Morning News,
12 July 1948.

Kindly avert your eyes if you're under 21.

This little souvenir thimble is from shopcaesars.com, the online gift shop for, I assume, Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, though I know they have a casino in Stateline, NV (south shore of Lake Tahoe) and possibly one in Reno (?) or Atlantic City (?), so I s'pose one could get this thimble even if one didn't care for Las Vegas because it's so insufferably, hellishly, hot. This thimble is $8.00. I think it's pewter, but it doesn't say so at the website.
What it does say at the website is, "Harrah's (parent company of Caesar's) welcomes those 21 years of age and older to our website."
If they're referring to some other website, then perhaps this pleasantly-phrased restriction is suitable. However, as far as I can tell, the shopcaesars.com website consists solely of pages for souvenirs for Caesar's Palace, the Flamingo, and Paris Las Vegas. Assuming the "Paris" stuff only depicts the Las Vegas casino/capital of France and not the guest of the County of Los Angeles, it should all be tame enough for those under 21.

History of a Thimble

Dallas Morning News,
16 March 1893.

Patent: No. D52012: Thread Cutting Thimble

Patent No. D52012, Theresa B. Gates, Richmond, CA,
7 May 1912.

Heavens to Betsey!

The (London) Times, 20 July 1787,
page 4, issue 799, column A.

Woman Sewing

Woman Sewing.
Caroline Augusta Lord, ca. late 1890s
Oil on canvas.
University of Cincinnati Fine Arts Collection.

I have tried to find works of art with thimbles, but I am amazed at how many pieces there are from different cultures and in different media showing women sewing. I think I would like to write/edit/publish a book on that: Depictions of women sewing throughout history. Maybe there already is something like that? Gotta check it out.

Update: In Praise of the Needlewoman: Embroiderers, Knitters, Lacemakers and Weavers in Art. Hello! Yay! Still, I don't know how much sewing is shown. Hmm. . .

Craft in America

This program, "Craft in America," has aired over the last two nights on PBS (at least here in the San Francisco Bay Area). Absolutely wonderful. It profiles a large number of artists in clay, wood, metal, glass, and fiber. Jewelry makers, ceramicists, wood turners. Craft artists of every ilk. All beautiful work. (How do they not worry about rent? What would I do with my life if I didn't have to worry about rent?)
Anyway, the DVD is being released this coming Tuesday*, June 5th, wherever such things are sold, with the companion book not being released until October 9, 2007.

*New DVDs, Cds, and books are now released on Tuesdays, except for Harry Potter stuff, which gets released when and how J.K Rowling wants it released. In the case of the next book, however, I think she completely missed the boat. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book 7) is being released on July 21st, 2007. It should be released on (Duh!) 7/7/07.