Finding Treasures

If you read my last post you know that my 99 year old aunt passed away two weeks ago.  If you read to the end of the post you know that I found some plastic doilies that resemble tatting. Well, the found treasure list is growing!

First I would like to share what we are face every morning.

Every room starts like this,

One of the rooms had three boxes of moth balls in it and had been closed up for as long as I can remember.  The pictured room (let's call it the Bedding Room) has not officially been tackled, but I had to peak at the sewing and craft supplies that could be found without tripping over things.  Of course I am hoping to find some tatting shuttles - still hoping!!  I did find a few balls of size 100 tatting thread, so there is still hope!!   Here is the "Moth Ball" room about 3/4 done.  The bed was COVERED about two feet deep with clothes and the foot board could not be seen.  The pile on the left is mostly towels and wash cloths which we saved for another day.  The plastic shelving in the back was piled with clothes and shoes.  They now are holding some nick knacks, a few tote bags and some perfume gift sets.    Here is a picture of the bed as it is now.  The space between the bed and the wall was FULL of boxes.

Five years ago this house would have been a night mare for me to enter.  I have asthma that is highly reactive to anything that has a odor (good or bad) except skunk, but that is another story!!  I do believe I will be remembering to take my reusable shopping bags into stores in the future.  I think the "Moth Ball Room" had at least 1,000 plastic bags in it.

First up for found treasure was actually found yesterday on pantry and dining room day.  People, please clean out your pantries!!  You will not want your relatives throwing away canned goods that expired ten years or more before your passing!!  First, an update on the doily I needed to get the magnifying glass to examine more closely - It is not tatting.  The buffet contained a bag with eleven Workbasket Home and Needlecraft for Pleasure and Profit circa 1957 to 1958.  I will be making the tatting patterns.  We will see what happens from there.

I am having a hard time deciding which of the sewing treasures is my favorite.  Although this is definitely a find, I am NOT a seamstress so it does not impress me that much...  The table seems to be in remarkable shape.

My favorites from the "bedding room"

To the left is a Pelouze Hem gauge.  The back is marked with "Patent Pending".  The inventor filed for a patent of the gauge in early 1927 the patent was granted in 1929.  The hem gauge is at least 87 years old.

I anyone has ideas on the maker and date of this thimble I would be very grateful.  The design seems to be humming birds.  It is silver although I cannot find any marks on it, the thimble started out black before it was cleaned with silver polish and elbow grease.  Here are some more thimble I  found is the sewing/craft supplies -

The one in the middle appears to have a design consisting of black berries with leaves.  That leaves on sewing/craft related treasure however I have not taken pictures of it yet "sew" you will just have to wait!!  I will say that it is about eighteen inches tall.  Would someone care to guess what ir is.

Happy Tatting every one.