Needles and pins, buttons and bobs - a history of sewing tools

 

​For thousands of years men and women have joined together pieces of fabric and decorated them with stitches.  Joy Evitt’s fascinating talk explored the many inventive tools and implements they have used through the ages.
 
Not only was her talk full of fascinating facts, examples and stories, Joy also brought along an extraordinary collection of original sewing tools and paraphernalia.  There were fifteenth century pins dredged up by mudlarks from the banks of the River Thames, decorative needle cases, pin cushions, scissors and ingenious novelty tape measures.  

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Perhaps the most intricate pieces were two nineteenth century chatelaines, the Victorian housekeeper and dressmaker’s answer to the Swiss army knife, with every implement she might need hanging decoratively from her waist belt and ready to hand.

Many needle working tools were both practical pieces of engineering and beautiful, tactile implements.  They were treasured by their owners,  given as gifts - like the pretty tomato-shaped pincushions traditionally given as housewarming presents for good luck.   

Needles were packaged in decorative wrappers and stored in precious and charming needle cases.

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​The Victorians particularly coveted beautiful sewing boxes full of bone handled button hooks and bobbins for the home sewer and dressmaker.

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Then came a collection of early sewing machines.  The Singer name is now synonymous with machine sewing but many other companies developed the technology.  Joy demonstrated several machines with the panache of Isaac Singer himself.  We heard how he dazzled the sewing world with his entrepreneurship and charismatic sales techniques, not to mention his many mistresses and 23 children!  
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​Many sewing tools were treasured by their owners.  It was a delight to see, and handle, so many original pieces – a great afternoon and fitting subject for our return to the Castle Museum Auditorium after a long break, for our January meeting.
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