Shoe-making Tool Roll

Much like the flatware rolls, and the one for my straw-plaiting accoutrements, this tool roll isn't an historical copy, but rather the application of a historic method (rolled fabric pocket) to a crafting and living history need (a way to contain my shoe-making tools, especially the pointy ones, in storage and transit). It certainly would have been a familiar organizational strategy for the sorts of women trying to DIY their own shoes with Every Lady Her Own Shoemaker, so I think it's a reasonable addition to my interpretive kit. After all, I'm not portraying a period shoemaker, just a person with basic sewing skills attempting to learn from a book.

Tools all assembled.

 

I left out the hammer and pliers, due to their size and weight skewing my mock-ups. The rest of the tools and supplies get their own designation pockets: wool-lined leather sheaths for two shoe knives and a rasp; wool needle-page;  then fabric pockets for two awls, a wood burnisher, an edging tool, bar of wax, thread winders, a bag of tacks, and glass burnisher. Wool is used to keep moisture (and thus rust) away from the blades and needles, while the rest of the roll is made from reproduction cotton prints. The awls have small pieces of cork over their tips to prevent them poking through the fabric.

I've taken it out for one event so far, and other than being inconveniently large for the table space, it did a good job of keeping everything neat and ready at hand. I also appreciate that it rolls up into a single neat package, which is helpful for organizing my box of shoe-making supplies.

Sewing Kit Refresh

Backdating this one, as it was actually finished in early October. My rolled sewing kit got hit by a bad rainstorm back in '18 or thereabouts which deformed the cardboard components. It still functioned just fine, however, until this year when the fabric over most of the hard edges finally broke down.

Exhibit A: The sewing roll, a bit worse for wear.

Be that as it may, I really like this sewing kit, and wanted to change it as little as possible. I started by removing the box and lid, from which I separated the pin-cushion. I took the opportunity to repair a small worn spot along the edge of the main piece where the box joins it, and ironed the whole piece while it was flat. I then cut and covered a new box and lid. I re-used the blue and red coral print for the pin cushion, but added more wool roving to the cushion itself. Then it was time to join the box back onto the body. I'd forgotten just how much I dislike sewing hard-sided 3D objects together...

Kit with new box.

I'm happy with the new box, though I miss the old fabric a bit still. I just didn't have any of the purple feather for the new lid, nor the foulard for covering the box (though I liked how it looked with the diamonds when closed). I did manage to get the old foulard into the lid, piecing it twice to make it fit. I also realized upon finishing that the original ties are badly fading and starting to fray along the folds, so I may need to replace them in the near future as well.

And closed. The green print looks better with the interior, in my opinon.

Rolled Sewing Kits

Made from the instructions in Fanciful Utility, which continues to provide fun and beautiful uses for all the odd ends from my larger projects. These two kits are bound for Fort Nisqually--one for interpretation, the other available through the Foundation's fundraising auction. [Details forthcoming; see Anna Worden Bauersmith's Etsy store to buy your own patterns.] 

The kit on the left has a three wool needle pages, a central 3.5" x 1.5" box (~1.75" tall) for holding thimbles, pincushions, and other tools, and a 3.5" x 2.5" pocket for thinner items like scissors, wax, and thread winders. I've equipped it with 12 pins, 6 needles, 1 disk of wax, an emery strawberry, and a round pincushion. The latter two are made up from designs in the American Girl's Book; Or, Occupations for Play Hours (1854/1831), though I took the liberty of using cotton instead of silk on the exterior. My own silk pincushion works fine after years of use, but started looking worn much more quickly than the cotton print ones I made before and since.

The pink box has a built-in pincushion, shaped scissor pocket, and a multi-purpose 2" x 2.5" box with a lid. The pocket can hold scissors up to 4" in length, while the box has room for a modern thread spool or two, or a variety of other tools--in the picture above, it has an emery strawberry, wax disk, two spools of silk, three thread winders, and thimble. This box is also starting out equipped 12 pins, 6 needles, 1 disk of wax, and an emery strawberry.

Sewing supplies are all ready to go.

All of the box fabrics are reproduction cotton prints, the ties are satin ribbons (the orange cotton, the green silk). The needle pages are wool, as is the stuffing of the pincushions. The strawberries have cotton covers with hand-embroidered spots, wool tops, and emery sand centers. Except for two internal seams, the boxes are entirely hand-stitched, clocking in at 4:15 each.