SOCIETIES
Thimble Collectors International (TCI)
http://www.thimblecollectors.com
Society for both Thimbles and Needlework tool collectors
Dorset Thimble Society
http://www.dorset-thimble-society.org.uk
German Thimble Collectors
http://www.fdf-ev.de/Fingerhut/deutsch.html
The Cavalcade of History and Fashion
ISMACS (International Sewing Machine Collectors Society)
The Buttonhook Society (UK)
http://www.thebuttonhooksociety.com/mainpage.php
Inspiring ways to display these or similar items such as Stilettos and Crochet hooks.
http://www.thebuttonhooksociety.com/displaying.html
http://www.strawcraftsmen.co.uk/
The Guild of Straw Craftsmen – Many straw-work sewing baskets incorporate these techniques, shown as individual Projects
http://www.strawcraftsmen.co.uk/project06.php
INTERESTING LINKS
Webster’s Knitting Needle Notions
http://www.knitting-needle-notions.com.au/index.html
A blog with needlework tools
http://crazyhaberdasher.blogspot.com
Barbara Ballantyne
http://www.crochethistory.com/
The V&A Museum’s blogs
http://www.vam.ac.uk/things-to-do/ [scroll down for blogs]
V&A Quilt blog
http://www.vam.ac.uk/things-to-do/blogs/quilts-hidden-histories-untold-stories
Avery Needle case Resource Center
http://www.coulthart.com/avery
AVERY NEEDLECASE collectors (pictures, information & Forum for collectors)
THIMBLE HOLDERS - a large private collection - ** SITE NO LONGER ACTIVE
http://thimble-holders.com
Marquetry Techniques (many sewing boxes have inlaid designs)
http://www.marquetrysociety.ca/Techniques.html
The Charles Horner Company
http://www.charleshorner.co.uk/p2_thim.htm
http://www.plimoth.org/embroidery-blog/?mode=viewlist&pageno=0&limit=5
Recreating a 17th-century embroidered jacket based on examples in the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Embroiderers' Story chronicles its progress.
Also see http://www.thistle-threads.com/blog/ [commercial site of one of the organizers, with complete history of the “Plimoth Jacket” on the blog]
Historic Threads: Three Centuries of Clothing
Colonial Williamsburg’s Antique Clothing & Accessories 1600-1860
http://www.history.org/history/museums/clothingexhibit/index.cfm
Gay Ann Rogers, author of the books An Illustrated History of Needlework Tools and also American Silver Thimbles, is also an embroidery designer
http://gayannrogers.blogspot.com/
Collection of Needlework tools
http://www.comptoir-des-dentelles.com/1.html
Historic Glove collections – links to extraordinary collections are on the left of their page
http://www.glovecollectioncatalogue.org/
The Worshipful Company of Glovers of London
A slide show of antique needlework tools on Flickr photo hosting site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10429032@N08/sets/72157600969820665/show/with/876372613/
SEWING MACHINES
Smithsonian sewing machines
http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Trade-Literature/Sewing-Machines/Introduction/
Wonderful video tour of IMCA Sewing Machine Museum, Holland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPIyMUl77Wk&feature=player_embedded
The opening view of a Lion is the figural sewing machine on the front cover of Oldtimer- Sewing Machine by Otto Landgraf - you'll see more of it in the video.
For further Information on Restoring the Lion machine:
http://www.ismacs.net/sewing_machine_articles/saving_a_lion.html
EMBROIDERY
How to make a Lucet cord
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y5K7FiT2Og
Tambour Beading technique
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctalL88NMqM&playnext=1&list=PL5FA334D5DA724AB7
Whitework and Costume
Step by step photos of the creation of the Plimoth Plantation Jacket
http://www.winterthur.org/pdfs/Plimoth-Jacket.pdf
Embroiderers’ on-line Stitch Dictionary
http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html
http://www.pintangle.com is her blog
http://www.scholehousefortheneedle.com
Mary Corbett’s Needle ‘n Thread blog (techniques)
VADS - online Visual Arts resource
http://www.vads.ac.uk/results.php?page=34&cmd=search&mode=boolean&words=embroidery&idSearch=boolean
SILVER MARKS
http://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.silvercollection.it/Englishsilvermarks3JQUATTRO.html
Trademarks on Base-Metal Tableware by Eileen Woodhead (Archeology Service, Parks Canada) - if the link is blocked, search 'Base metal tableware'
http://www.sha.org/documents/Parks_Canada/Trademarks%20on%20Base-Metal%20Tableware.pdf
Marks on Australian Silver 1950-2005 by Christine Erratt
http://www.parkerpressbooks.com.auSAMPLERS
Smithsonian Sampler Collection
http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=6104&gkey=127
http://www.thesamplerguild.co.uk/
http://www.scholehousefortheneedle.com/links.html
http://www.carlislehistory.org/sampler_article.html
M. Finkel & Daughter (commercial site)
http://www.samplings.com/catalog/
CONSERVATION
Victoria and Albert Museum’s Links page for Conservation
http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/conservation_links/index.html
Cleaning Metals
Cleaning Gold and Ormolu
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/metalwork_features/caring_metals/cleaning_gold/index.html
Finding a Conservator in Australia or New Zealand
Conservators in Private Practice - AICCM Website www.aiccm.org.au
NZCCM Website – http://www.nzccm.org.nz
Australian based suppliers of conservation grade materials:
Powerhouse Museum Supplier list
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/pdf/preservation/products_and_suppliers.pdf
Albox Australia http://www.albox.com.au
Archival Survival http://www.archivalsurvival.com.au
Conservation Resources http://www.conservationresources.com.au/html
Preservation Australia http://www.preservationaustralia.com.au
Zetta Florence http://www.zettaflorence.com.au
New Zealand based suppliers who stock conservation grade materials
Conservation Supplies http://conservationsupplies.co.nz
Triptych http://www.triptych.info
COMMERCIAL SITES
http://www.needleworkantiques.com
Antique Needlework Tools and Samplers
Antique Needlework Tools
Sue Gowan, author of Thimbles of Australia
http://elegantarts.com/welcome.php
Carolyn Meacham’s Antique Needlework Tools
Genevieve Cummins, The Discerning Collector
Antique Needlework Tools
www.insidetheworkbox.co.uk a collector downsizing her collection
www.sewantiques.co.uk Sylvie Collett’s site; author of Palais Royal Needlework Tools.
Times Past www.judy-pollitt.co.uk/ established in 1976
Portobello Road Antiques Market
The Thimble Society
De Nederlandse Vingerhoedclub [The Netherlands Thimble Club]
www.hygra.com Antique Boxes and tea caddies; includes information on the site.