Thimbles: Little Darlings of Sewing Collectibles!
What's not to love about thimble collections? Every theme is yours for the asking: state thimbles, shield thimbles, animal thimbles, bird thimbles, event thimbles; metal, porcelain or wood thimbles - it's the whole world in miniature.
Thimbles are small and easy to display, they tell stories about places you've seen, places you'd like to see, or things you enjoy. And besides that, they're just plain charming!
Thimble collecting is no longer just grandma's hobby, it's caught on with all generations in a big way.
Are You A Digitabulist?
Translation: Are You A Thimble Collector?
Condition: Does it have holes in it? Is it "out of round"? Is it heavily worn or cracked? These can negatively affect a thimble's value. (These problems would more likely occur on utilitarian thimbles, not thimbles purchased solely as collectibles.)
Of course, you can't go wrong if you collect what you love instead of only buying items considered to be of higher value. Buying what you love guarantees you'll always be happy with your collection; buying on speculation or according to today's values could leave you with a whole bunch of dust collectors in the future that you may not even like ... remember the Beanie Baby craze? I know people who paid lots of money on spec for "rare" Beanies that they didn't even like, and today some of those Beanies can't even bring a $5 bid at auction. Collecting on spec can be rough, to say the least!
I hope you enjoy these little interesting tidbits about world of thimbles!
Know the Value of Your Thimble Collection!
Great References on Collectible Thimbles
Meissen - The Holy Grail of Thimbles?
Among the rarest of thimbles!
Meissen thimbles are no exception. Although porcelain thimbles were created as gifts and collectibles, they were actually perfect for use with finer materials such as silk because their smoothness didn't cause pulls in the materials.
Many fine porcelain companies make thimbles, but Meissen thimbles, with their delicate and detailed designs, are very expensive and hard to find outside of museums. The well-known crossed sword symbol signifying Meissen can easily be faked, so make sure you know your stuff if you stumble across a Meissen thimble at the next auction, yard sale, or antiques shop you visit!The Meissen thimble pictured here can be seen at The Thimble Guild website, a definite "must see" for anyone who enjoys thimbles!
The Wearable Thimble!
Thimble Charms
The 18th Century Fashionable Thimble
From Utility to Fashion
When artistic needlework gained favor with middle and upper class women in the 18th century, it wasn't surprising that the meager little thimble, a necessity with needlework, was elevated to a fashionable accessory. Thimbles became shorter and more rounded and some hung from chatelaines.
Following the lead of the queen, highly decorated thimbles could now be given as gifts. Today we can do the same thing with friends who are thimble collectors. The unusual metal thimble pictured here depicts two of San Francisco's most memorable features: the cable car and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The 17th Century Thimble
Reign of the Silver Thimble
Rimless thimbles with chevroned strapwork and those inevitable waffle-like indentations were relatively commonplace. Originally the waffley indentations were square, but toward the latter part of the century, they were replaced with decorative circular knurlings. If you lived in England during the mid-17th century, your thimbles would be cylindrical, tall, and more than likely made from two pieces.
The metal St. Thomas Virgin Islands thimble pictured here, with an enamel shield, shows ornamental indentations used today in collectible thimbles.
Everything on Silver Thimbles at Amazon!
The real deal, reading, and reference - enjoy!
In The Beginning: Thimbles As Collectibles
The Sewing Machine Takes Over!
Porcelain thimbles went into full souvenir production, featuring famous people, famous places, and memorable events. And today, over a century and a half later, tourists still love collecting souvenir thimbles as reminders of the places they've been and things they've seen.
The porcelain thimble pictured here features the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown, NY, just the type of tourist attraction that would have been featured on those original collectible porcelain thimbles.
Other Books on Sewing Collectibles
Expand your collection!
Thimbles - Old as Time Itself?
Oldies But Goodies!
More Great References on Thimbles and Thimble Collecting
Birchcroft Thimbles - Must See/Must Have Thimbles For Collectors
Beautiful quality thimbles at reasonable prices.
If you've never seen china thimbles made by Birchcroft, then you're in for a treat. A family-run company in England's famous Stoke-On-Trent for 25 years, Birchcroft thimbles are highly collectible - in fact, their website states that an entire collecting club was formed around Birchcroft thimbles and its members now number in the thousands. The site also says that most thimble sets are made in limited editions of 500 or less.With many diverse designs (over 10,000 to choose from!) from cottages to books (yes these thimbles actually are shaped like books!) and model-tops to peepholes (you just have to see these unique ideas!), these beautiful china pieces are of interest to collectors in many different areas.
Stop by their website or check out their eBay store for their lowest prices, which you can get to from the module below.
Crossover Collectibles
Thimbles with Multiple Themes
The sweet thimble pictured here would interest people who collect Alaska memorabilia as well as those who collect thimbles with birds, states, or Puffins.
Drop In and Say Hi!
We'd love to hear from you!
Do you collect thimbles? Tell us about your finds, why you love these little darlings, or just say hi!
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- fingurbjorg fingurbjorg Feb 17, 2009 @ 8:18 am
- Thank you for this lovely and entertaining information and pictures of thimbles :)
I've been collecting for over 10 years now and I'm nowhere near stopping! ;)
Birchcroft makes the thimbles in limited editions like that? I didnt know that! And I have several from Birchcroft, including a cottage, a book, peepholes....
I've been into novelty thimbles, but being introduced to the antiques I might want a couple of those now :) But I will make sure it's one I actually like how it looks too! haha ;) Not just because its old.
I did buy what was said to be old roman thimble, more like a thimble ring as they often made them in the beginning, I thought about what if its not authentic? But the price wasnt through the roof, and I do want an addition of a thimble with that appearance.. anchient thimble ring.
So then I got it :P
If it's ok for me to share here, I'm a member of a fairly new group http://thimblechatter.forumotion.com/index.htm
I also just joined TCI yesterday! :)
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- LarryBass LarryBass Sep 7, 2008 @ 8:43 am
- Sweeet Lens Anita! I'll see if I can dig up a picture or two of the very few that I have in my stuff. Thanx for the inspiration. I also dig the way you've laid out your Lens and the amount of great content you've jammed in there. Five star stuff from this ol' quillman for sure! :-)
LarryB
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- youhavegottobekidding youhavegottobekidding Sep 1, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
- I have always seen thimbles in plastic form but after visiting your Lens I was amazed by those great metallic ones, especially the PILGRIM HAT THIMBLE. Its design is like it was built for collection only.
5 stars for you Great Lens.
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- Stazjia Stazjia Aug 6, 2008 @ 11:24 am
- Great 5* lens. I wouldn't have done my thimbles lens if I'd seen it first. I've lensrolled yours and favourited it.
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- bjslapidary bjslapidary Jun 3, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
- Great lens. I have a few thimbles that I have collected over the years. A go with for my buttons. 5*s for you.
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