Antique American Needlework Tools by Dawn Cook Ronningen

Antique American Needlework Tools by Dawn Cook Ronningen is the culmination of a lifetime's fascination with all forms of needlecraft and the tools women used to make their needlework masterpieces.

The book is encyclopedic in coverage, starting with the basic tools that date back many thousands of years--needles and thread.

from the chapter on sewing needles in Antique American Needlework Tools

Women created decorative storage for her tools. So, along with the history of pins from the earliest bone to industrialized manufacturing, Dawn covers pin storage including papers, boxes,  poppets, folders, discs, cushions, and rolls.

examples of sewing rolls and box storage

Chapters cover thimbles and thimble holders; scissors and cutting; bodkins, awls, and stilettos; sewing rolls, reticules, bags, and waist pockets; sewing sets including chatelains, baskets, and boxes; clamps; threadwork; hoops and darning; closures and fasteners; measuring, marking, patterns and templates.

crochet and crochet tools

Readers can learn the history of each tool in her chapter essay. The book is richly illustrated with 750 color photographs from Dawn's collection and from personal and institutional collections.

Some storage items were manufactured, like the thread holders in the page below. But I was most interested in the storage items made by women, often as fundraisers or gifts.

Textile storage cases were easy to make out of scraps. But women also used embellished perforated paper, ring needle books, wool and felt folders, cases made out of sea shells and nuts, and hollow bone or wood cylinder cases. Not only were storage cases made for needles and pins but for thimbles and scissors too. Portable sewing containers for multiple items included bags and pockets and baskets and chatelaines (a collection of tools worn on the body). 

examples of thread storage boxes

I asked Dawn to talk about her passion.

Nancy: How did you begin your collection?

Dawn: My collection began as a young girl with my first sewing basket. I have always been fascinated by what can be created with a needle and thread. Add some colorful fabric and the opportunities are endless.

From the simple to the complex the needlework tools themselves are also works of art. Be it folk art or fine art.   

Nancy: I found myself very interested in the handmade storage for sewing tools, such as needle cases, sewing rolls, and tool storage. Women could show off their creativity in making them, and I imagine that many were made for gifts and fundraisers. Can you talk about how today’s sewers can recreate these objects?

Dawn: Makers can recreate many of the items themselves with patterns we've created to compliment the book. They can be done by traditional hand methods or contemporary machine techniques. All stitchers have their roots in early stitching tools.                 

Nancy: I know you are a reproduction quiltmaker. How do you use these tools in your own projects? Why do you make reproduction quilts?

Dawn: My personal choice is handwork. I enjoy "setting a pretty table" near my work chair with antiques. Some[of the tools] I use, others I enjoy seeing. 

Nancy: What advice can you give to people who want to start their own collection of needlework tools?              

Dawn: I would encourage a new collector to start with pieces they can use and build their collection with pieces they love.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about antique American needlework tools! Learn more about Dawn, her blog Collector with a Needle, and her patterns at these websites:

Dawn has antique quilt patterns and more at her blog Collector with a Needle at
http://collectorwithaneedle.blogspot.com/

Visit Dawn's Etsy shop for reproduction quilt patterns and supplies, sewing pockets, and pin-holders:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/cwaneedleorder?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count#items

I received a free book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Antique American Needlework Tools
Dawn Cook Ronningen
Schiffer Publishing
$34.99 softcover
Size: 8 1/2″ x 11″ | 750 color & b/w images | 240 pp
ISBN13: 9780764355493

from the publisher:

Featuring exquisite examples from museums and private collections, including many rare items, this treasure trove explains and illustrates the history and beauty of American sewing tools. Exhaustively researched, it is the first publication to focus on the topic and shares the story of the American industries, innovations, and uses related to hand sewing and embroidery tools. Insights spring from well-documented primary sources like eighteenth-century American newspaper advertisements or a twentieth-century thimble patent. The book offers historical background, detailed descriptions, and photographs of needles and threads, bodkins and awls, chatelaines, hoops, lucets, and more. The strong link between women’s history and needlework tools is captured as well. Many one-of-a-kind handmade examples represent American subcultures and regional tastes. With more than 750 color photographs, this is an invaluable resource for historians, scholars, collectors, and embroidery and sewing enthusiasts.

Dawn Cook Ronningen is a historian, needle worker, and long-time collector of sewing and embroidery tools as well as antique textiles. She uses her needlework tool collection in her own stitching projects, focusing on historic techniques and designs. She lectures on her collections in the US and abroad, meeting and sharing information with embroiderers, quilters, sewers, and antiques enthusiasts.