I decided to add a page with vintage sewing items. At one time or another, I blogged about the following sewing items but I’ve never grouped them together.
Some of the photographs are not as clear as I would like them to be but the items were all donated to a vintage sewing display, so I no longer own them.
Egg Shaped Darner
This first item is a wooden oval or egg shaped darner. At one time, people would darn their socks or gloves which had holes in them. Today we just toss the worn items out.
Darning I think is a little like weaving to close a hole.
This egg shaped darner is old, I think it dates to about 1920. Interestingly enough, I found it in the children’s section of a second hand store. I guess they thought it was a children’s toy. No, that’s not what it is.
The larger or egg shaped part was used to darn socks. The smaller handle was used to darn holes in gloves.
The handle of the darner comes out and you can use it to store your needles in. I checked, no needles in the handle.
This is a collection of vintage patterns. Years ago, people made a lot of their clothing.
The earliest patterns tissue pieces were not marked. One had to “read” the notches and small holes in the patterns.
These patterns date back to about 1940-50’s. Notice the 25 cents price markings.
There are also a couple packages of blue darning thread and some fancy head straight pins.
The straight pins were used to hold patterns in place so you could correctly cut the material.
Vintage Pattern Tracintg Wheel
This is a wooden black handle vintage tracing wheel.
Tracing wheels were used to mark patterns onto material without leaving a permanent marking.
One would also need marking paper to use with the tracing wheel.
This tracing wheel dates back to about 1910 to 1920’s.
I enjoyed looking at this next item which is a Pin-It Marker from about the 1950’s. Unfortunately it is missing the feet part of the item.
People would use this item to get an even marking on hem of skirts or pants.
Pin-It Marker
Using a Pin-It Marker
This item would open up so you could place the material in the item and then proceed to measure the hem and place a pin in it to mark it.
I once had a conversation with a lady who told me her father was a tailor in Germany and he used one of these Pin-It Markers.
I found these bobbin-sized spools of silk thread in a second hand store. These spools of thread go back about to the 1930’s.
The silk thread was produced by the Belding Corticelli Company and is pure silk twist, Side D.
Silk thread was used in sewing on buttons and making button holes in garments.
Six Wooden Spools of Corticelli Pure Silk Twist Thread
Large Eye Sewing Needles
This package contains nickle plated large eye Milwards sewing needles from about the 1950’s.
Notice the 15 cents original price tag. I paid a dollar for this vintage item.
They look like they were well made and would last a long time.
Actually, I never owned either of these two beautiful sewing machines but I thought it would be a nice way to end this blog.
The Wilcox and Gibbs, S.M., is a rather rare sewing machine.
Why don’t they make things this lovely anymore?
Singer and Wilcox & Gibbs, S.M., Co. Sewing Machines