Unknown origin.thimbles, sewing

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing. In the Victorian period, an ornate silver thimble would be given as an engagement gift, but silver proved too soft for withstanding pins. In 1885, Charles Horner patented a new silver thimble with a steel core which became the Dorcas thimble and enabled a functional but still decorative thimble. This particular thimble collection includes two Charles Horner thimbles. The collection was owned by Kallista woman, Beryl Collett (1925-2018). Some may have originally belonged to her mother (Hettie Collett nee Thorn) who was a talented milliner and from whom Beryl first learnt her considerable handicraft skills. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or hand-made by Beryl and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.This is a collection of eight thimbles. Most are ornately decorated with raised detail. All are silver except for one made of brass. Two are Dorcas thimbles manufactured by Charles Horner and two are made by silversmiths in Taxco (Mexico). A German-made thimble has glass in its cap. The thimbles vary in age from c. early to mid-20th century.beryl collett, hettie collett, thimbles

The Wodonga Historical Society Haeusler Collection provides invaluable insight into life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century north east Victoria. The collection comprises manuscripts, personal artefacts used by the Haeusler family on their farm in Wodonga, and a set of glass negatives which offer a unique visual snapshot of the domestic and social lives of the Haeusler family and local Wodonga community. The Haeusler family migrated from Prussia (Germany) to South Australia in the 1840s and 1850s, before purchasing 100 acres of Crown Land made available under the Victorian Lands Act 1862 (also known as ‘Duffy’s Land Act’) in 1866 in what is now Wodonga West. The Haeusler family were one of several German families to migrate from South Australia to Wodonga in the 1860s. These thimbles belonged to Ilma Margaret Ernestine Haeusler (née Tasker), born in 1900 in Tallangatta. They were used in the family home between 1919 and 1928 during her marriage to Louis Alfred Haeusler (b.1878). Ilma died in childbirth in 1928, leaving one surviving son, John Alfred Lyell (b.1922). In the nineteenth and early twentieth century prior to the mass production of clothing and textiles, needlework, alongside motherhood, was the defining work of women. Hand sewing and embroidery was central in the everyday lives and domestic roles of women. This item has well documented provenance and a known owner. It forms part of a significant and representative historical collection which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of domestic and family life in early twentieth century Wodonga, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes including local history, social history, and women’s history. Two alloy tailors thimbles dating from the early 1900ssewing, thimble, thimbles, sew, haeusler, haeusler collection, wodonga

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing. This thimble was made in Taxco, Mexico, a place famous for its silver work blending pre-Columbian motifs with baroque and art deco aesthetics. This thimble is part of a group of eight thimbles which belonged to Beryl Collett (1925-2018), a local woman with considerable handicraft skills and interests. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or hand-made by Beryl and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Taxco handmade sterling silver thimble with a very ornate pattern on the side. No band at rim. Thimble has a seam. The top has been damaged and repaired with solder. Inside thimble is imprinted '15' followed by indiscernible maker's marks.beryl collett, thimbles, taxco, mexico

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing. This thimble was made in Taxco, Mexico, a place famous for its silver work blending pre-Columbian motifs with baroque and art deco aesthetics. This thimble is part of a group of eight thimbles which belonged to Beryl Collett (1925-2018), a woman with considerable handicraft skills and interests. They form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or hand-made by Beryl and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Taxco handmade sterling silver thimble with a scroll pattern on the side and a narrow abalone inlay band around rim. Honeycomb pattern on the top. Thimble has a seam. Inside thimble are a 4-digit number and maker's marks which are difficult to decipher.beryl collett, thimbles, taxco

Belonged to donor's mother-in-law, the late Mrs Doris Keene.Two silver plated thimbles used for sewingNo inscriptions or markingsdomestic items, sewing

Charles Horner's patent combining strength of steel with silver was to create a thimble which offered durability of steel with silver which stayed cleaner for the needleworker than brass or iron thimbles.Notable improvement in the quality of thimbles which were essential tools for the needleworker.Steel and silver thimble and boxBox: The Improved Dorcas. Thimble: CH 7 Dorcas on plain lower border, domed upper thimble decorated with Louise designdorcas thimble. charles horner

Steel lined silver thimbles were a great improvement in an era when thimbles were essential tools for the needleworker.Silver is soft and silver thimbles hole easily, Charles Horner's steel lined silver thimble was a significant improvement for needleworkersSteel lined silver thimble. Thimble plain rim marked CH 7 DORCAS. Upper domed body with Louise design.dorcas thimble. charles horner, steel lined silver thimble

It is believed the word thimble evolved from "thumb bell". They were first produced in 1695 by a dutch metalworker. The small thimble, size 7 is 15 mm at the rim and was made in Germany. The medium thimble (Size 8) was made in England. The largest thimble is a size 13 3 silver thimbles each of varying sizes. Large thimble has England stamped on it and the number 1. Each thimble has indentations covering 2/3 of the thimble areaEngland 1thimbles, sewing aid

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing In the Victorian period, an ornate silver thimble would be given as an engagement gift, but silver proved too soft for withstanding pins. In 1885, Charles Horner patented a new silver thimble with a steel core which became the Dorcas thimble and enabled a functional but still decorative thimble. This particular thimble was made by Charles Horner post 1905 and is part of a thimble collection which was owned by Kallista woman, Beryl Collett (1925-2018). Some may have originally belonged to her mother (Hettie Collett nee Thorn) who was a talented milliner and from whom Beryl first learnt her considerable handicraft skills. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or made by Beryl. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Silver thimble with a dense floral design on the side and top of thimble. Plain band around rim of thimble. Markings indicate it is a Size 4, Charles Horner thimble.Bottom band imprinted: 'CH 4 / DORCAS'. beryl collett, hettie collett, thimbles, charles horner

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing In the Victorian period, an ornate silver thimble would be given as an engagement gift, but silver proved too soft for withstanding pins. In 1885, Charles Horner patented a new silver thimble with a steel core which became the Dorcas thimble and enabled a functional but still decorative thimble. This particular thimble was made by Charles Horner post 1905. The thimble collection was owned by Kallista woman, Beryl Collett (1925-2018). Some may have originally belonged to her mother (Hettie Collett nee Thorn) who was a talented milliner and from whom Beryl first learnt her considerable handicraft skills. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or hand-made by Beryl and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Silver thimble with a floral decorative design on top and side of thimble. Underneath that is a band of a pattern of repeated squares. Around the rim is a plain band with manufacturer's imprint. Markings indicate it is a Size 5, Charles Horner thimble.On bottom band imprinted: 'CH 5 / DORCAS'. beryl collett, hettie collett, thimbles, charles horner

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing. In the Victorian period, an ornate silver thimble would be given as an engagement gift. This thimble is part of a thimble collection which was owned by Kallista woman, Beryl Collett (1925-2018) and may have originally belonged to her mother (Hettie Collett nee Thorn) who was a talented milliner and from whom Beryl first learnt her considerable handicraft skills. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or hand-made by Beryl, and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Honeycomb pattern on the side of the thimble and a spiral honeycomb pattern on the top. Plain narrow band around the rim. Silver.On the outside of the band: '6' and (?)'CM' and three (?)hallmarks. The first one is of an animal. beryl collett, hettie collett, thimbles

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing. In the Victorian period, an ornate silver thimble would be given as an engagement gift. The thimble collection was owned by Kallista woman, Beryl Collett (1925-2018). Some may have originally belonged to her mother (Hettie Collett nee Thorn) who was a talented milliner and from whom Beryl first learnt her considerable handicraft skills. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or made by Beryl and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Silver thimble with a honeycomb pattern on the side and a raised leaf pattern around the rim. Decorative blue glass top. On the body imprinted: 'STERLING GERMANY 9'. beryl collett, hettie collett, thimbles

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing. In the Victorian period, an ornate silver thimble would be given as an engagement gift. This thimble was owned by Kallista woman, Beryl Collett (1925-2018) and may have originally belonged to her mother (Hettie Collett nee Thorn) who was a talented milliner and from whom Beryl first learnt her considerable handicraft skills. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or hand-made by Beryl and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Honeycomb pattern on the side of the thimble and a spiral honeycomb pattern on the top. Plain wide band around the turned-up rim. Brass. No visible markings.beryl collett, hettie collett, thimbles

Thimbles have long been used as a shield for the fingertip when hand sewing. In the Victorian period, an ornate silver thimble would be given as an engagement gift. This thimble was owned by Kallista woman, Beryl Collett (1925-2018) and may have originally belonged to her mother (Hettie Collett nee Thorn) who was a talented milliner and from whom Beryl first learnt her considerable handicraft skills. These thimbles form part of a large and varied range of objects which were either collected by or hand-made by Beryl and which have been donated to the Museum. This varied thimble collection has been collected during the long lifetime of a local woman who enjoyed needlework and lacemaking.Honeycomb pattern on the side of the thimble and a spiral honeycomb pattern on the raised top. Below the honeycomb pattern are two rows of plain bands with a groove between the bands. Silver. No visible hallmarks.beryl collett, hettie collett, thimbles

Ivory thimble made in China for European market 1840's. Representative of the style of bone and ivory thimbles made in China for workboxes made for European marketIvory thimbleThree plain bands on lower edge, rounded top heavily dimpled, ivory, thimble

The thimble is an important tool in hand sewing and embroidery used to protect the finger when pushing needles through fabric. Silver thimbles were often given as personal gifts. This thimble was made by one of the three famous Birmingham thimble makers. Henry Griffiths& Sons were one of the most famous silver thimble makers of Birmingham. The firm was established in 1850 and only closed in 1982.Sterling silver thimble, waffle and daisy checkerboard pattern, plain rim.Rd 171259, 17, HG&S, Lion, Odecorative sewing tool, henry griffiths thimble

Blackberry patterned silver thimbles were popular in late 1800's. Patterns involving leaves and fruit covered the thimble. Blackberry patterned thimbles have been popular for silver thimble collectorsSterling silver thimble patterned with leaves and flowers - Blackberry pattern Hallmark: Leopard's head, Lion rampart, letter I in a shieldblackberry pattern thimble, silver thimble

Thimbles were essential tools for sewing, especially in an era of very fine sewing needles. Thimbles were an essential item on sewing chatelaines which were very popular in Victorian timesSilver gilt, embossed thimble bucket with two chains and a ring to attach to chatelaine chain. Velvet lining and thimble are missingneedle case, chatelaine

Plastic thimbles were produced in late 19th and early 20th century, inexpensive, litghtweight alternatives to traditional materials such as metal and bone. Charles Iles was one producer of plastic thimbles Plastic thimbles with dot type indentations were made pre-1939.Plastic thimble of early 20th centuryPale blue plastic thimble, hand painted with pink & white flowersPink & white flowers bakelite thimbles, charles iles

Hand made box for thimble to celebrate Embroiderers Guild Box made by Edna Wark who had been President of EGV (1973-1977)Hand embroidered thimble box of green, red and cream pattern On base. E,W 1981thimble box

Brass patterned thimble in patterned pink bakelite case with floral lid.thimbles, thimble cases, sewing equipment

This item is from a collection donated by descendants of John Francis Turner of Wodonga. Thimbles were used for both practical and decorative purposes and were created in a range of styles. Popular history also suggests that roots of the modern-day wedding ring in America had an interesting tie to a thimble. Puritans that colonized in early America did not believe in adornment. A common practice among these early Americans was for a man to present a thimble to his fiancée which was symbolic of his wish to marry her. These brides began to cut off the rim on these thimbles and making a simple band they would wear on their finger. Thus, the practice of wedding rings for women started.This item comes from a collection used by a prominent citizen of Wodonga. It is also representative of a domestic item common in the 1930s.A silver thimble decorated with filigree work above a solid bottom section.domestic items, filigree thimble, womens social history, women's work

Patented in 1884, these steel lined thimbles made by Charles Horner were a major achievement of 19th century thimble technology, solving the problem of easily holed silver thimbles with the benefits of being able to use a clean non staining thimble (unlike other materials). The steel cored silver thimble revolutionised thimble technology providing a durable, attractive thimble named for Dorcas, a good woman of the Bible who sewed clothes for the poor.Steel cored silver thimble, daisy pattern on top and upper sides. Middle band waffle pattern and lower band plainCH 9 DORCAScharles horner thimble, steel cored silver thimble