Monday 21 June 2021

Unusual Needles, Mystery Buttons

I was finishing off a project - and couldn't find my needle case. I think I put it somewhere safe when the grandchildren were here. But in the bottom of my sewing box I spotted a packet. Clearly a card of needles, folded inside a cellophane wrapping. I couldn't recall where it came from. I carefully slid out the card and unfolded the sheet.

A "Handy Needle Pack" - five very different needles, each with a brief description on the card

A curved Mattress Needle for upholstered furniture repairs. 

A fine but strong Glovers' Needle for use with leather and vinyls. 

A flat bladed Sail Needle for canvas and awning repairs*.

A bent Sack Needle for repair to hessian and coconut matting* 

A big-eyed Couching Needle for heavy wools.
* with flat, triangular points.

I needed to sew two buttons through a lot of layers, so I used the sail needle. It was perfect. But I wondered about housewives in the 1960s - did they really find themselves stitching holes in fine leather gloves, or tears in coconut matting? 

I do remember a Teaching Assistant in the 90s angrily stitching up the stack of school sacks- a Probationary Teacher had cut armholes and neckholes in them all, to make 'Roman slave tunics' for his Class Assembly -not realising they were needed for the Sports Day Sack Race! 

Here is one of my buttons - out of my Great Stash. It is vcheap metal, and bears the phrase Ludovicus Rex Plures Non Capit. Which apparently means There is no room in the world for more than one King Ludwig [or Louis] I did some checking on the Internet. 

Despite people trying to sell these as 'rare' and 'vintage' buttons online, the majority are late 20thC reproductions. Latin scholars complain the words are incorrect, and historians say "Which Louis?" there were loads of Kings called Louis in France. 

And in Bavaria, King Ludwig II lived in this splendid castle [allegedly the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle] Buttons like these were used in the mock military jackets popular in the 60s - Sergeant Pepper and all that. Lots of people had them on garments from the popular C&A clothes store. 

I don't think my old buttons are very valuable. But they are great fun. Tomorrow I will explain why I needed them.










14 comments:

  1. I'm intrigued! It's good to know what all the strange needles are for as I have a few of those odd-shaped ones and never knew what to do with them.

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    1. I shall keep mine on the card to remind me

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  2. When we were in Budapest we were told that the Fishermans' Bastion was the inspiration for the Disney logo...https://budapestconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Fishermans-Bastion-1.jpg
    Quite honestly I think your castle is more likely!

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    1. I went to the Bastion with Liz in 2005, I don't recall anyone making a Disney connection back then. My vote is for the Bavarian one!

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  3. I love old buttons there's something so much more interesting about them and the things they are made of, so much more tactile than the modern mass produced plastic sort.

    I have a similar card of needles but with no descriptions of what each is for. I do know that the one with the huge eye is the only one I can thread without my reading glasses on these days :-)

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    1. Threading needles is becoming quite a challenge for me too these days

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  4. I picked up a card like that with the same needles in a bundle of stuff from a car boot sale many years ago and probably sold them again later!!

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    1. I have too much haberdashery [Haber-Stashery?] I must be more ruthless.

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  5. I also have these needles and I also have two 'Wizard Threaders' by Newey which makes it easy to thread tapes and cords through a loop. Invaluable.

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    1. I have a Wizard Threader too - so useful for threading elastic.

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  6. I've had a card of these needles for decades and I have no idea why I bought them initially. My set includes a smaller curved needle called a lampshade needle, and a tapestry needle and knitters needle.

    My favourite needle-like tool is a bodkin, for threading elastic through casings. Even the name "bodkin" delights me!

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    1. A "lampshade needle"? That's intriguing. Perhaps we should start a Bodkin Lovers Appreciation Society

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  7. I have a similar packet of needles, myself; mine originally had 7 "home repair" needles with two curved mattress needles (two sizes), a carpet needle, a sail needle, an upholsterer's needle, a packing needle (similar to your sack needle), and a glover's needle.

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    1. That is very similar, Bless. Do you have the Millward brand in the USA?

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