V1C3: Tools for Precision Cutting

The tools for laying out, securing, cutting and marking have a rich heritage.  We take these tools for granted today as pins are now cut from a single piece of metal and are packed into boxes or thrust into crimped paper by robotic machinery.  Early pins were made by hand from brass or iron and the tops were crimped or bent at the top--  sounds crude but even these were considered a luxury.  That is where the terms "pin money" and the practice of picking up a stray pin as a thrift behavior and bringing good luck. Pincushions were popular and had many different names "pimpilowes, pimpilos, pimplos, pimploes or pyn-pillows."  These were lavishly embroidered, made in fanciful shapes, sewn by hand and even worn as ornaments.  During the reign of Elizabeth I, no lady of the court was found without their pincushions and the Queen herself was presented with one as a New Year's gift-- (a very elaborate embellished one for royalty, of course).  In the 18th century the "pin poppets", small hand wrought ivory cases and other such devices were popular and became heirlooms passed down from one generation to another.

Tape measures themselves were also kept in valuable ornamental housing made of wood, brass, bone ivory or mother of pearl with little inventive devices to wind the tape.  The tape measures themselves were ribbons with measures embroidered or inked upon them-- were not always standard and made of different lengths--they were not uniform.  It wasn't until the 19th century that a yard length became standard.  Measures were commonly subjective.  In Medieval England the lengths of fabric to purchase were measured with the length of an arrow until the 12th century in which a yard was length of the King's arm with the first joint of the thumb thrown in for good measure.  The King's foot was the foot measure of 12 inches or three barleycorns laid end to end.  This continued until the 16th century when the "ell" -- a 45 inch unit was developed.  An ell stick was marked with nails every 2.5 inches (a meteyard" which tape measure where then modeled on.  Eventually "standards" replaced the ell and were made from carefully prepared metals and kept in controlled environments to prevent degradation.  Once technology was developed, the standards were then measured and developed precisely based on light wavelengths.

Scissors also evolved from beautiful art objects to utilitarian efficiency.  Upper class people would keep the ornate craftsman-made scissors safely in special cases to protect them but the lower classes had basic iron scissors to use that did not cut well until steel making refinements in the late 19th century were developed.  Notched steel wheels also were developed for pattern tracing ("Harpers Copying Wheels"-1875) not much different from our marking tracers today that we use with carbon or chalk papers.  Of course a smooth wheel was developed for use with knits to prevent snagging the threads and causing runs.

V1C2: Thread --Part 4

http://www.specialtyquiltinginfo.com/thread-rolling-comparison-between-technologies/ (image credit)

So Much Variety

Thread comes in different weights.  When this book was written, mercurized cotton was the most common thread found in stores and used to sew with. 

  However, I recently went to Joanne's and found that Polyester Thread is most common now with mercurized cotton sold as more of a specialty thread. 
 This may make sense for the store -- most of their fabric are made up of polyester.  

1. Use cotton thread to sew cotton, linen, rayon, and cotton synthetic blends. 

2. Use silk thread (a type called A) for silk, wool, wool-silk blends and synthetics (leaves no lint!).

3. Use polyester thread for knits and silk buttonhole twist for buttons and buttonholes. 

Today most of us use polyester all purpose thread with most of our everyday kinds of clothing.  Some threads are a combination of a cotton core with poly around it (Dual Duty).

Superior Threads

Coats and Clark


Needle sizes to use: Size 7 or 8  for polyester and mercurized thread; Sizes 8 or 9 for silk thread and Size 4 or 5 for buttonhole twist.

Threading a Needle

To begin to sew with a needle and thread, first you must trim the thread at a 45 degree angle for a sharp edge to thread the needle.  Threading a needle can be tricky, you may need to tilt the needle so you can see the eye and poke the thread through it.  There are needle threaders available on the market for those with failing vision or who are just impatient with the process.  The important thing is the needle must be threaded.  Easy thread or Calyx needles are available as well but they are best used for finishing a line of stitching.  Sometimes waxing the thread can help to stiffen it for threading.


To wax a thread, one draws the thread or a group of threads through beeswax, place them between two papers and press with the iron to melt the wax into the fibers.  It produces a strong thread.  Here is a How-To courtesy of YouTube: 

To make a knot at the end of the thread (not always needed) Take the thread at the end,  loop it around your index finger a couple of times and then push the loop off and with index finger and thumb draw it down the thread into a knot.

V1C2 The Sewing Machine, The Iron, Needle, Thimble, and Thread Part 3

The Sword and Shield 

Throughout history, In order to sew a seam, the very basic  tools needed are a needle, thimble and thread.  While the need to sew all seams by hand has remarkably decreased with the sewing machine available as a power tool allowing much more speed in constructing garments, the need for sewing by hand has not been eliminated.  You might want to use hand sewing if you are interested in period correct historic costume or couture construction.

 In the 14th and 15th centuries, good needles were prized possessions.  They were difficult to source and found at festival times when peddlars traveled to the villages and towns to sell their wares.  Most households had only one needle.  Most people only had one outfit to wear (unless they were wealthy).  These bronze needles were somewhat crude and often bent to prevent them from sliding out of the fabric being sewing when put aside.  Legend has that the steel needle was developed by the Chinese soon after the silk fiber was discovered by the Empress (how soon after is in question as there was no steel in China at that time).

As the finer steel needle developed and was available into the reign of Queen Elizabeth from the metalsmiths of the Middle East, needlework became even more elaborate and detailed.

The needles developed then and are now needles we still use today-- Sharps  are what we use most often in our households; Straws, or Milliner's needles were often used to make straw hats, thicker blunter needles called Blunts, used for skill-building young women in embroidery and by tailors and cobblers to sew with leather and heavy fabrics.

click to enlarge

Needles today are available in 24 sizes. The higher the number, the smaller the needle.

Thimbles were also developed in the earliest centuries. The Art of Sewing Volume 1 shows a picture of a bronze thimble found in Syria dated to 300 BC. The correct way to wear a thimble is on your middle finger of your needle or sewing hand. I'm left-handed so it would go on my left second finger. Your thimble should be lightweight and have deep enough ridges that your needle will not slip. The use of the thimble is to push the needle through the fabric using the side of the thimble, not the tip. There are a variety of thimble types available.