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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Antiques and Collectibles Articles   Follow the arrows to other stories Those Victorian Sewing Treasures   By Robert Reed In an age where household sewing machines are more and more of a domestic exception, it is difficult to appreciate the Victorian need for them and their accessories.   During the Victorian era, girls were expected to learn sewing by the age of six. And within a few years thereafter, they would complete a distinguished sampler which would demonstrate a range on intricate stitches.   "Sewing then was almost the only recreation acceptable for Victorian women," observes Marilyn Estes Smith in the reference work Spinning Wheel's Antiques for Women. "They took great pride in their ability to embroider as well sew a fine seam."   The many Victorian sewing-related items that were so vital then are understandably quite collectible today. They range from cushion dolls, sewing baskets and scissors to early machines, thimbles, and even advertising cards. Certainly, sewing accessories were available to American woman as early as the Colonial period. A 1746 advertisement in the New York Weekly Post noted that an establishment near the Fly Market "sells all sort of Ironmongery and cutlery Ware, Thimbles, Pins, and Needles."   However, it was the Victorian era that really saw the zenith of household sewing and sewing implements.   One significant accessory was the sewing bird. In 1852, the Hartford Times offered "Ladies Sewing Birds, the latest invention and most useful article for ladies that be found." Basically, the birds served as clamps to hold fabric for sewing. Initially the clamps were in the shape of birds and therefore called sewing birds, but they later appeared in the form of other animals and even a butterfly. Moreover, the birds could be made of a variety of materials, ranging from brass to plated silver.   Another popular Victorian sewing item, darners, were probably of even more varied materials than sewing birds. Typically, darners were in the shape of an egg with an attached handle and were quite handy for darning socks at the heel. Most were made of wood, but more expensive models were made of silver with ivory handles.   There was also a wide array of scissors, some with sterling silver handles and many with decorative patterns. During the 1870's, there was fairly widespread use of needle cases to preserve and protect needles, which remained a relatively costly item.   During the latter 1870's, the snap-back tape measure came into vogue in America. Prior to that time, women had to rely on measures which were hand-wound on a spindle. Snap-back measures were soon very popular and could be found with celluloid, mother of pearl, or even silver coverings. Some even bore advertising and were either given by merchants as premiums or sold at a relatively low cost.   For a time, dolls helped the home seamstress keep track of all her sewing implements. Sewing dolls were fashioned to hold scissors, buttons, thimbles and other items in the pockets of their dress. During the second half of the 19th century, various women's magazines offered instructions on how to construct them. The pin cushion doll was also another management tool for sewing.   Typically, young women used commercially produced porcelain doll heads to attach to their own pincushion creation. Often these pincushion dolls also had small pockets for holding thimbles and other small objects.   Not surprisingly, the accumulation of sewing implements created a need for boxes and other containers to properly contain and organize needed items. Simple woven baskets were often used for this purpose, however more elaborate work boxes of polished wood and velvet lining could be put to use.   At the height of the Victorian era, the selections necessary to enhance sewing were as vast as they were important.   "Rich or poor, a lady's sewing tools were a reflection of her good taste," said Carol Wallace, author of the comprehensive book Victorian Treasures. "The thimbles and needles cased reflected the variety of materials possible for even the most mundane of tools. Objects like an acorn thimble case, and a shinny silver basket-like pin cushion, very often took the shape of something else, presumably to simply charm and bemuse the user."   Even a simple pair of scissors could now be quite charming. Early in the 1890's, Chicago's Marshall Field Company offered lace or embroidery scissors with polished blades and fitted bows. A Boston department, meanwhile, was offering a wide selection of "Ladies' Buttonhole scissors with beveled bows." The short, hatchet-shaped blades of buttonhole scissors were heavily used in homes without extensive sewing machine attachments.   During that era, it was not unusual for the blades of fancy scissors to be manufactured in Germany or England and the handles to be added in the United States, with the final produce marked made in USA.   The Singer Manufacturing Company was the world's leading maker of sewing machines for the home in the late 19th century, although certainly not the only manufacturer. Singer's lavish advertising in magazines and colourful trade cards helped fuel the demand for more extensive sewing in the household.   And even with a fine Singer sewing machine, a great number of other accessories were constantly needed. Catalogs were filled with mail-order selections of gold-filled thimbles to silver plated needle cases. The 1895 Montgomery Ward general catalog offered their own version of the "new improved Singer Model Sewing Machine with high arm" for $13.50.   Ward customers could also order Lightning Hand Sewing Needles, and two-drawer cabinets filled for Clark's O.N.T. spool thread. The cabinets, some holding as many as four drawers, were also on display at neighborhood retail stores.   Pin cushion dolls became more popular than ever before. Striking examples were produced in Germany, Japan and the United States and offered in major catalogs as well as in fashionable shops. Finally, they could be purchased fully assembled and ready to sit in full Victorian costume among the sewing necessities.   More than a century later, Victorian sewing implements are out of practical use but certainly very much in use as decorative and historic collectibles.   Recommended reading: Sewing Tools and Trinkets by Helen Thompson. (Collector Books).   Robert Reed archives:    Syrup jugs Buttons, buttons  Christmas angels Victorian sewing  Icec ream      Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2008 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster