Monday, May 23, 2016

More dots and a new obsession

I think I am nearing the end of my Quilty 365. As my stacks of fabric squares & fabric circles shrink, the number of thimbles in my little sewing kit grows.


Thimbles -- I inherited a handful of utilitarian ones from my Mother & Grandmother; I keep them in a Depression glass sherbet bowl in my sewing room. Then one day, I was looking at Etsy & for a reason I cannot explain, I did a search of thimbles. A wealth of possibilities came up. One bunch caught my eye: a group of 63 from a seller in The Netherlands -- some utilitarian, some souvenirs of travel, some fine china. But these 6 sealed the deal -- 5 brass, 1 pewter, all with little delftware tops. This was the first of quite a few shipments from Etsy sellers that have arrived at my house.


Collecting is in my genes. Back in the day, Mom & I would go to the thrift stores & antique malls, each of us with our list of collections: elephants, interesting birds, wedding cake brides & grooms, cow creamers, butter pats, etc, etc. The hunt, the thrill of a find, the fun & companionship of the search -- such wonderful memories! But I rarely add to my collections anymore, it isn't as much fun going alone. I do sometimes look on Etsy or eBay, but it is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel -- the sport is gone. I doubt my thimble mania will last long, but for now, they are giving me pleasure. When we were emptying out Mom & Dad's house, my brother, 2 nieces & I could not absorb all of the collections that lived there. Some were put up for sale & I like to think of those things now being loved & enjoyed in another collector's collection. This is how I feel about the thimbles -- someone's tokens from travels, gifts, pretty purchases -- now living & being loved in my house.

Mom would understand.


6 comments:

Ailsa (Cape Pincushion) said...

I love your thimble collection! They are so pretty and dainty! The birdies are so sweet. And at least they don't take up much space!

Julierose said...

Oh what a wonderful obsession lol--the thimbles are gorgeous--my Mom and i did a lot of Flea Markets and Summer Craft Shows every year--I miss going with her, too. She collected little tiny porcelain animals..i donated them to my grandchildren as they were fascinated by them...I have one little froggy left on a lily pad--(we "frenchies+ frogs hahaha in her memory--it'll be one year this june 5th....)
hugs, Julierose

Nifty Quilts said...

The thimbles are wonderful and entertaining, imagining the stories that come with them. Best of all, they're a way of feeling close to your mother and the fun you had collecting things together.

Quiltdivajulie said...

What a charming item for a collection -- enjoy your process!

O'Quilts said...

WOW I love them...I love collecting too..When my knee is fixed...off I will go a hunting again. U r right...ebay takes the thrill of the hunt away.. Enjoy your eye candy!!!!!

Rachaeldaisy said...

I love all your thimbles!! What a fun thing to collect, and such lovely parcel to have arrive from around the world. Etsy and Ebay certainly do widen the search. I've wondered if a lot of quilters have the collecting gene seeing as most of us are good at collecting fabric.