Tangled Thread - Tips, Trick and Tutorials in Sewing & Stitching

Fun Thimble Facts

by Cathy on January 12th, 2007

Fun Thimble Facts is from a great newsletter called 501 Sewing Secrets.  This article was written by Vicki Blizzard.

The thimble has its origin in early civilization. Roughly carved of stone, bronze, bone or ivory, the thimble aided the sewer in pushing crude needles through animal skins to make clothing. Since that time thimbles have been created or made from every material imaginable. The thimble has served many purposes through the ages.

During the late 16th century to the early 20th century, thimbles were valued as objects of art. They were given as love tokens during Victorian times in a society that discouraged personal gifts of any nature between men and women. At one time, sterling and gold thimbles were given as an engagement gift from the fiancé to his future bride. The bottom part of the thimble could be cut off and used as the new wife’s wedding band when the couple married.

Early schoolteachers used thimbles to enforce strict discipline. The teacher would knock the disobedient student on the top of the head with a thimbled finger. The term “thimble knocking” was used by ladies of the evening around the same time period. They used a thimble on their finger to knock on the window glass to attract the attention of males walking by. During the 1800s, a thimble was used as a spirit measure or alcohol shot glass, helping coin the phrase, “Only a thimbleful.” During World War I, thimbles became a type of currency. In England approximately 400,000 sterling thimbles were donated and melted down in order to buy much needed hospital equipment. After World War I, thimbles became a popular advertising medium for companies in all areas of manufacturing and services.

One of the most astounding uses of a thimble may have taken place in 1856 when Latimer Clark was testing the first transatlantic cable. After several failed attempts, he borrowed a thimble and added a small amount of acid and zinc creating a miniature electric cell. This thimble generated enough current to send a signal across 3,700 miles in a second. Quite a colorful history for such a tiny sewing tool!

Share This

Related Stories

Cross Stitch Materials and Preparation
apparently, I’m “IT”
inspiring links for free totebag patterns
apparently I’ve been tagged
No More Tangled Thread - The Thread, Not The Blog!

POSTED IN: Uncategorized