Collecting
There have probably been thimbles for as long as there have been needles. Before the invention of sewing machines, everything had to be made by hand, from the sails of a ship to the sheets for a bed, from a baby's swaddling clothes to the grandest royal gowns. A little cap worn on the finger protected it during the long hours spent pushing a needle through fabric. Although thimbles were invented out of necessity, there are now an infinite number of variations, from utilitarian examples made from bone or Bakelite, to gem-studded thimbles that are fit for a queen.
Robert Bleasdale, director of the specialist sewing tool auctioneer Bleasdales, takes up the story: ‘Everyone who sewed hadbe used by a child. The best chance of employment for a young girl from a poor background might be as a maid. She needed to be able to undertake all kinds of sewing and repairs, so she was taught skills from buttonholing to darning. She sewed to survive. At the other end of the spectrum, well-to-do ladies would meet with friends and bring their sewing tools. A valuable thimble was a sign of status; an expression of a lady's taste and personality, and her ability to own fashionable, expensive things.’
