Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-07-17
ALL. ABOUT THIMBLES.
How the Useful Little Implement
Came to Be Invented.


They Are Manufactured.
'sThere is rich family of the name Of
Lofting in England" said dealer in fancy
articles TO New York Mail and Express
man, ''the fortune of whose house was
founded by such IN apparently Insignificant
thing - the thimble. Two hundred years
ago thimbles were unknown In England
The thimble is claimed by the Dutch as an
invention Of their country, but 1t is known
that It was In use among the silk embroider-
ers OF China hundreds Of years before it
was used elsewhere. The first ever seen in
England was made In London less than
two hundred years ago by q metalworker
named John Lofting, the founder Of the
family named. The usefulness of the arti-
Gle commended 1t st once to all who used
the needle, and Lofting acquired . large
fortune and great fame in the manufacture
OF the new necessary TO the needle-workerss
art The implement was then called the
thumb-bell, Il being worn on the thumb
when in use, and its shape suggesting the
rest OF the name. This clumsy mode Of
utilizing Il was soon changed, however, but
when and why the name 'Thimble' was
given the aFticlo does not appear.
sLofting's thlmbles and, In fact, all early
thimbles, were made either Of iron or brass,
and specimens Of them extant, many Of
which are preserved - heirlooms, are
crude and clumsy looking things COM
pared with the commonest tumble Of to-
day, although their cost was many times -
much.
To-day gold, silver, iron, ivory, steel
pearl, shell, celluloid, rubber and even glass
are utilized In making thimbIes. When art
needle-work was In It's first burst as popu-
lar craze, four or i've years ago, thimbles Of
great value and Of most elaborate work.
manship, TO accompany the rich and costly
implements and materials wealthy nee
dle-workers affected, found large sale.
Solid gold thimbles, elegantly carved and
frequently set with diamonds, were found
none too good for many fashionable home
decorators. Thimbles made to order, with
the monogram or initials Of the person for
whom they were intended set In precious
stones, were by no means unknown objects
dart, in the fashioning Of which the skill
Of our artistic metal workers was taxed.
know q rich young lady in this city whose
enthusiasm for art needle-work was 20 In
tense three years ago that nothing but Q
diamond set gold thimble that cost 500,
with other embroidering implements to
to match, would enable her to reproduce
those well remembered, fearful and won-
derful butter-cups, daisies and blue-bells
that one saw blooming in such prodigal pro-
fusion on foot-stools, banners, screens, tidies
and bureau covers in all homes Of culture
and refinement IN those crazy days Of anna
teur home art.
'In China the ladies Of high rank are
very dainty with their thimbles. Some are
carved from enormous pearls, with bands
| Of hne gold, on which are engraved all sorts
Of fantastic things, the etchings of which
serve for catching the needle, as the ordi-
nary holes In the thimbles Of the outside
barbarians do. The high-rank Chinese
| thimble always has q mother-of-pearl case.
With the thimble the Chiuese lady always
has . delicate pair of scissors Of the finest
steel, In q sheath of pearl, and pearl nee-
dle-case. The articles are all inclosed In an
exquisitely inlaid case Of the purest mother
| of-pearl A New York lady, whose husband
was in the China trade, has one of these
Chinese needle-work kits, which she values
| 1t e, 900.
"The way thimbles are made in England
and in this country In simple enough. Dies
Of the different sizes are used, into which
the metal, whether gold, silver or steel, is
pressed. The bole-punching, finishing, pol
ishipg and tempering are done afterward.
Celluloid and rubber are nodded. The best
thimbles are made in France, where the
process is more thorough. Strange as IL
| may seem, the French consider durability
/ III buolE 8OAQ bmLnuACo 90 buC III b0 EC4uLnlSo.
| The first step in the making of Paris gold
lhimble IL the cutting into disk of the de-
sired size Q thin piece of sheet iron. This
| Is brought to q red heat, placed over q
graduated hole In an iron bench and ham,
mered down into 1t with punch. This hole
is the form OF the thimble. The iron takes
Its shape aud Is removed from the hole.
The little indentations to keep the needle
from slipping are made in it and the other
finishing strokes Of the perfect thimble put
on it. The iron is then made into steel by
process peculiar to the French thimble-
maker, and Is tempered, polished and
brought to deep blue color. A t2in sheet
Of gold Is then pressed into the Interior Of
the thimble and fastened there by man.
drill. Gold leaf is attached to the outside
by great pressure, the edges Of the leaf be-
ing fitted in and held by small grooves at
the base of the thimble The article Is then
ready for use. The gold will last for years.
The steel never wears out, and the gold can
be readily replaced ut any time. Nowhere
J else in the world are gold thimbles made in
; that way.
81 have heard Of many curious thimbles
The Queen of Siam has one which was .
present from her royal husband. The Thin
! BILE had never been in use in Siam until Q
few years ago, when the King, noticing that
his court used thimbles, had one made for
his Queen It was made Of gold, in the
form of lotus bud, the lotus being the
Siamese royal floral emblem, and was
thickly studded with diamonds, so arranged
Is TO form the Queens name and the date
of her marriage. The presentation was
, equal to an order that the ladies Of Siam
should use thimbles, and they have used
them ever since. A lady in Boston has q
thimble made from piece Of the old Wash
ington elm at Cambridge. the old tree undei
, which Washington stood when he took thu
oath as Commander-in- Chief in ITS. Tht
wife Of q prominent Brooklyn clergyman
has thimble that was carved from q pecul
, lar stone she found on the shore Of thG
Dead Sea. A well-known New York society
. lady has one made from asphaltum, the sub
, stance with which the sacred fires Of Per
sia were built"
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