As the second of my two-in-a-day shopping posts, this bargain hunt was not what I expected. After G Street yesterday, I grabbed a quick lunch with hubs and then we closed on our new house. New to us, anyway. (Sooo relieved. Much has changed in the home-buying process in recent years, as it should, but I can’t say I enjoyed it.)
So today I ran to my local Goodwill store. We have plates and utensils in our stuff that’s still in transit from across the ocean, but who knows how long it will take to get here. My goal was to grab some basics to wash, use, wash and return to Goodwill when we no longer need them. If I find something I want to keep, great, but it’s nice shopping when there’s no pressure to choose something I want to look at for years.
What I was not expecting to find was this. Mrs. Jewell’s sewing kit.
In the top tray, vintage buttons, thread, needles. Yum. Anybody know what the spongy thing is for? Maybe for wiping the drool off of my chin as I dug deeper.
A mystery box. And baggies full of…
Super meticulously kept thread. Were these left over from spools? Or did she keep what was left every time she changed her bobbin thread? I think the latter is my guess.
Inside the mystery box… bias tape, blanket binding and seam binding.
A smaller tray with more vintage thread.
Here’s where Mrs. Jewell really reminds me of my own grandmothers who had no small part in my learning to sew. Mrs. Jewell was thrifty. Saved every last bit of things. I’m guessing she also re re re reused aluminum foil and always took her leftovers home from any restaurant meal, no matter how small. Like, half a biscuit. Like my Grammy.
Brochures for “quick makes” and “How to create your matchless shape of fashion.” I need to read that, first to understand WHAT ON EARTH IT MEANS.
Vintage buttons, snaps and hook and eye closures.
A receipt that was one of several that disclosed Mrs. Jewell’s identity. $10 for service on her machine… in 1972.
What an awesome find! And, I think the “spongy thing” is supposed to be a pin cushion. My mom has one in the top drawer of her sewing table (which is older than I am), and it has always had needles and pins in it.
Oh my goodness that’s amazing. What a treasure! Some of those things could go on display. :) And I think Carolina’s right – I think it’s a pincushion.
Amazing!
great post..what a fabulous find!
i agree..the sponge is a pin cushion.
my guess would have been to wet fingers to smooth thread ends (it reminds me of what bank tellers use)…but pin cushion probably makes a whole lot more sense. what a great find!
My grandma keeps a small sponge in her sewing kit to dust off her sewing machine. All those vintage buttons make me so jealous.
What a fun find!!! Love it all!
Doncha just LOVE finding things like that?!?!?!
I have no idea what the sponge-y thing is, but I like Care and everyone elses’ idea…pin cushion sounds likely. I remember organinzing my mom’s sewing box years ago and actually throwing her sponge away. It must have come with something since it seems that many of us know an….older? sewer who had one. And we know that they found uses for EVERYthing!!
that is so great! I love old finds like that!
What a wonderful find. Even though I don’t know Mrs.Jewell I am secretly happy that you got her sewing kit. I’m sure she would like to know that someone who really appreciates it ended up with it. Enjoy!
How fantastic.
I spent a lovely time with my mother on the weekend sorting through her mother’s old sewing box. It really was a treasure trove will all sorts of wonderful little finds. My favourite [albeit slightly disturbing that they were kept here rather than somewhere else] were two large eagles feathers which I promptly stuck into a skein of cream wool [ala knitting needles] which now sit on my sideboard as a still-life.
The other thing that I loved like you were the buttons and for me it was the attention to detail and the quality of the buttons.
Anyhoo I’ve rambled on enough, good luck with the moving,
Felicity
Lucky! That’s an awesome treasure box stuffed with goodies!
Oooooh what a GREAT find!! I love it!! Enjoy!
Jealous. :)
A treasure chest!!!
love it. I have a small collection of mine and my husband’s great grandmothers sewing baskets/ goodies displayed in our bedroom. i love wooden spools of thread too. Good find!
Wow, this totally inspires me to spend more time at the local thrift stores…Welcome to the area btw!
This is amazing! I’d love to find something like this. It totally reminds me of one of my grandmas.
Isn’t that fun??? At our Goodwill last weekend, I found a big bag of fabric and notions for $3.99. Although not vintage, it was still a steal! Mostly gingham and baby prints, some pieces embroidered with tooth pillow or “hush baby sleeping” designs, flannel, and ribbon and bias tape to match all of it. Over 14 yards total, not including all of the notions. What a bargain!
wow, that is really beautifull. And that even the former owner is known. Enjoy
holy cow, it looks like one that I had just picked up at the flea market, you got a deal…I paid $10 for mine. It even has the same threads!
How exciting. A few years ago my friend’s mother passed away. She was a sewer and another family member worked in a fabric mill years ago. Last month my friend finally started emptying the mother’s house and I was given about 100 lbs. of fabric. I have no idea how many yards it included. Along with notions including buttons from 1952 according to the advertisement and calendar they were attached to. It was great fun going through everything.
So neat. You got me curious about Mrs. Jewell. If it’s the same one, and I think it is, Mrs. Theresa Jewell passed away this past March, 2010 at the age of 90. I love all the thread windings she saved. My mom has a shoebox full of these. For her they came from the thread she’d ‘unzip’ from skirt hems. She is only 5’1″ and always has to shorten her skirts. The machine overcast hem used so much more thread than her hand-sewn hem, there was always leftover thread. I like seeing the papers Mrs. Jewell wrapped her thread on… one of those looks like it could be a popcorn box. And I love the wooden ice cream spoon! I’m sure she’d be happy to know someone has her sewing box who appreciates it.