THIMBLES

Silvermyst, Lady Midnight and Calli Victoria, being quite
feminine, wanted to mew about thimbles...such interesting and
fun things!


In the days of handstitched clothes and detailed tapestries the thimble was highly valued by the needlewoman.

They have a long and fascinating history, yet many pay little attention to this tiny item hiding in the bottom of a sewing basket or at the back of a drawer.



DISPLAYING A THIMBLE COLLECTION
Submitted by Calli Victoria
A thimble collection is easy to display, and takes up very
little space. Even the tiniest apartment will have room for
these treasures. An old printer's tray or a small drug cabinet
can be used with great effect. A favorite picture frame can
be backed with rich, soft velvet and the thimbles can then be
hooked over glass headed pins to form a pleasing design. The
possibilities are limited only by one's imagination.

SOME THIMBLE HISTORY
By Lady Midnight
The oldest thimble of which there is a record was found in
Egypt, carved from stone. Another, made of bronze, was buried
by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, and discovered
when Pompeii was excavated.

Our word fpr this useful implement, "thimble", comes from
the Anglo-Saxon word "Thimmel" meaning thumb cover.

Sailors on old whaling ships often passed their free time
carving thimbles from whale's teeth. The ornate scrimshaw
thimbles, lovingly crafted from salt-cracked hands, were then
given as homecoming gifts to their wives and daughters.


The kitties are still prowling in the Attic of the B & B
looking through the toy box and trunks. What fun they had!
We all know how much kitties like to play with things
they "discover"...much better than something given to them.
Mew about the toys they might have encountered when they
snooped about in the attic and in that toy box!



Submitted by Calli Victoria (who loves paper things!)

PAPER DOLLS
Early paper dolls were available in various stages of modesty. Some dolls like the European actors came with permanently printed clothes. Others were designed to wear multiple layers of clothes, wile others had printed underwear and required only outerwear. By the 1800s most commercial paper doll clothes featured tabs. Handmade clothes for paper dolls quickly adapted this new, more convenient fashion.

Homemade paper wardrobes often rivaled the silken fashions worn by real ladies and gentlemen. Small artists used bits of cloth, lacy Valentines, tissue paper and magazine pictures to craft beautiful ball gowns. Children often protected this delicate finery with cardboard support. Young ladies of the 19th century earned spending money by selling such unique creations. A paper doll pamphlet from 1856 described a girl who financed her education through the sale of original paper dolls.

MARGARET'S DISCOVERY

A beautiful porcelin-headed doll with a cloth body and real human hair wig came out of the toy box today. It was dressed in the latest rage, a traveling outfit, consisting of a tailored wool coat, with a fur-trimmed collar, matching fur muff to keep the hands warm , a bonnet with matching fur trim and mittens handknitted to keep the hands warm. The doll wears silk stockings, silk shoes and wears a dress of taffetta, made by a dressmaker to match the dress of her owner. She also wears handmade pantaletts with real lace ruffles and petticoats of cotton with lots of layers. She has a handmade trunk, which contains an assortment of different dresses, all handmade and lovingly cared for by her human owner.

Click here: Antique Treasures

Sir Wally,
This site is dedicated to a sewing Museum where sewing collections are on display. There are many beautiful antique thimbles shown that were made by several different companies. Make sure that you see all of these beautiful antique thimbles.

Click here: Ellard U.S.A. Thimbles

Here are some beautiful porcelain thimbles for sale. A lot of them have Victorian type pictures and flowers on them.

Click here: http://www.thimblesgalore.com/

Here is a great site for thimble collectors.
Purrs, Lloyd

Click here: Victorian Trade Cards
Toys, Dolls, Games
Sir Wally, here is a good site to read about antique toys. My Meowmie has this site as a link on her Grandmother Sunshine2 page.
Purrs, Lloyd


Graphics of some toys by Cheyenne Autumn


TOYS FOUND BY SILVERMYST

Wooden Toy Museum

Wooden Stick Horses of America
Silvermyst found a stick horse! Stick horses have been around
for centuries and are still fun toys today. All meowmies probably
had a stick horse as a child. The link above shows some good
ones!

Rocking Horses:

Antique rocking horses date from about 1880 to 1930, the golden period of rocking horse manufacture. Rocking horses were produced in a wide range of sizes, from the very small to the extra large, but the two sizes most commonly encountered are the medium and large. The delightful rocking horse pictured was made by G&J Lines of London, circa 1880.

Purrs, Bastet



THE HISTORY OF THE PUZZLE

Submitted by Lady Midnight...(this was a good find!)

The origins of jigsaw puzzles go back to the 1760s when European mapmakers pasted maps onto wood and cut them into small pieces. The "dissected map" has been a successful educational toy ever since. American children still learn geography by playing with puzzle maps of the United States or the world. The eighteenth century inventors of jigsaw puzzles would be amazed to see the transformations of the last 230 years. Children's puzzles have moved from lessons to entertainment, showing diverse subjects like animals, nursery rhymes, and modern tales of super heroes and Disney. But the biggest surprise for the early puzzle makers would be how adults have embraced puzzling over the last century.
Because wood puzzles had to be cut one piece at a time, they were expensive. A 500-piece puzzle typically cost $5 in 1908, far beyond the means of the average worker who earned only $50 per month. High society, however, embraced the new amusement. Peak sales came on Saturday mornings when customers selected puzzles for their weekend house parties in country retreats.

The History of the Puzzle



VICTORIAN NEEDLEWORK



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