Like old friends, craft tools prove tried and true

I have racked up more than 50 years of stitching stuff by hand. I began this odyssey of needle and spool at age 10 when I stitched my first piece of embroidery. Since then I have accumulated many tools to aid me with this passion. Some, like the ornate silver thimbles fashioned in Mexico, I never use. Others, such as the stainless steel thread scissors I acquired in 1966, I can’t be without.

One of my all-time favorite tools is the size 12 antique sterling silver thimble given to me by a friend many years ago. It’s the only one I’ve ever found – new or antique – big enough fit to my oversize paw. The other thing I like about this thimble is the beauty of the frieze of S-curved motifs adorning it. I also like the little star etched into the dome of the thimble. I like knowing that the tip of my finger is resting against that star whenever I sew.

You’ve heard the phrase, “odd’s bodkin.” Well, I have one of those – an odd sort of bodkin. This silver-colored metal tool is shaped a bit like a long cotter pin with splayed ends equipped with fine teeth. A little ring slides up and down the shaft of the bodkin to make the teeth open or close. I use the bodkin for threading elastic through a casing. The teeth of the bodkin bite tightly into the end of the elastic, the little ring provides the force to keep the teeth closed, and its rounded head and slender shaft make it easy to slide through the casing.

The buttonhole scissors I keep in my sewing basket are a fairly recent acquisition, given to me by an elderly friend who was hoeing out. They were made by United Cutlery in Germany, perhaps as early as the 1920s. Buttonhole scissors have blades that look like a bite has been taken out of them and a little brass setscrew above the point where the blades are joined. These features allow for precise snipping and prevent accidental cuts through the buttonhole bar tacking and into the adjacent cloth. Recently, I found scissors online exactly like this that cost $42. I also discovered that the first U.S. patent for buttonhole scissors was granted in 1854. Another was granted in 1924 for improvements to the design.

The blunt-point needle I use for sewing knit pieces together is a recent acquisition, too. My younger son fashioned it of ironwood. The blond wood is very smooth and a pleasure to touch. It has an eye large enough to accommodate worsted-weight yarn. The needle shaft is not precisely straight, which I perceive with my eyes and my fingers, and the eyehole is not precisely oval, reflecting the work of the hand that made it.

My sewing bird is an antique, but it’s not shaped like a bird. It looks more like a miniature meat grinder. It’s made of cast iron painted black. The decorative forms on it are vaguely floral. The sewing bird clamps to a table. It has a swinging upper part that fetches up against a flat part, and fabric caught in between is held fast, making it easy for the seamstress to hold her work tautly, thus aiding the speed of the hand sewing a fine seam. Sewing birds were used when stitching long hems by hand, such as those on sheets or voluminous skirts.

The thin, 9-inch-long shaft of clear plastic doesn’t look like a tool, but it has a useful purpose. The shaft measures 1/4-inch square, the precise seam allowance used by many quilters. I line up the shaft along the edge of the fabric I am working with, make a quick mark with a pen or pencil and know I’ll sew a straight and accurate seam.

Last, but not least, is the little needle book I fashioned 10 years ago. It is made of two small pieces of book board covered with fabric embroidered with the alphabet. The back has the numbers 1 to 0 embroidered on it. The interior of the needle book is covered with a rose and forget-me-not cotton print and equipped with “pages” cut from off-white flannel. The first “page” holds blunt needles, the second holds sharps, the third holds quilting needles, and the fourth holds crewel embroidery and darning needles.

These tools, tried and true old friends, have seen me through many sewing days.

Snippets

Find free patterns for knitting little dolls and miniature Christmas stockings at www.jeangreenhowe.com.

ahamlin@bangordailynews.net

990-8153