I’ve had this blog post in mind for quite a while. You see, a few months ago
my sister sent me our grammas sewing box. Oh I was excited to have this come into my life.
It’s probably 9 x 9 and about 6″ deep. Nice handle, nice bit of weaving to compliment the wicker of the box. When I opened the box
I noticed the pins stuck in just the right spot. I’m sure at some point gramma wore hats and the hat pins would have been part of her everyday life. Now they’re in her sewing box and I get to see them. There are a couple of needles on there that I have NO idea what they’re for.
She has the usual things on the top tray Scissors, needle packs 2 measuring tapes
bees wax and a bracelet from the last time she came home from the hospital.
The bottom is chock full as well with lots of little bits and pieces. Sucrets boxes, a whitmans sampler box, seam guage, pins, pins and more pins, needles, scissors and thimbles.
Here are two of the three thimbles that are in the box…they both fit my fingers…but then there’s this one:
I have never seen a thimble like this one. This thimble has a built in needle threader. If you slide down the bar, then slide down the little attachment the threader comes out! I am totally blown away by this! While I don’t normally use a threader this one has come in handy with one of my projects where I’m using double thread. Getting both strands through the eye of the needle when the thread breaks makes my life so much easier.
I have a seam guage similar to this one, however one big difference, this one is made in the USA and gramma got it when KMart still had a big sewing section because she paid just 57 cents for it. 
It’s been a while since I bought mine and don’t quite know how much they run now so 57 cents may or may not be a bargain.
I looked up this Sucrets box this morning…it’s pretty old, perhaps as early as the late 20’s early 30’s and since gramma is in her 90’s she could well have been the only owner of this particular little box.
Then there are the crochet hooks, the tweezers (not sure why they’re in the sewing box and that really big needle. Where would a needle like that come from? Is it some kind of tapestry needle?
The rest of the stuff is the usual, pins, buttons, 
scissors and some bits and bobs. I am so glad that her thimble fit and I can use it to finish this quilt. The other thimbles would be great for piecing.
Happy Quilting!
Teri
Teri,
That plastic needle in the lid is for sewing in the ends of yarn for something knitted or crocheted. The other “needle” in with the crochet hooks looks more like something to turn bias tape or small tubes. It could also be used to insert elastic. The tweezers are probably used to pick out clipped threads. I could have used those today.
Teri, I had to smile at the Sucrets box! My mother always kept sewing supplies and “bobby pins” in those old metal boxes! What a wonderful momento from your grandmother!
How exciting to have that sewing box of your grammas. I’m sure you will treasure that for years. It was fun to see all the goodies she had tucked inside.
Teri thank you for sharing these treasures with us. I hope you enjoy using them and the memories of your gramma that they will always bring you
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
I have a thimble just like yours. I figured out the needle threader but did you know that the extenion has a sharp side and is a thread cutter? This came from my husband’s grandmother.
I just randomly came across this post, but that thimble is really cool. Now I’m going to be hunting for one like it for my emergency sewing kit!
I have my grandmas thimble with the needle threaded (and thread cutter) in it too. So special. Sadly it is way too big for my fingers. I have my other grandmas thimble as well, it is squished bit to fit her finger.