Metal sewing clamp in the shape of a lizard
date: label: date made
content: 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: A metal sewing clamp with a lizard (or alligator?) shaped fabric clamp above the screw clamp that secures the device to the table; squeeze its tail and the mouth opens to hold the fabric taut. Above the lizard is a brass box with a drawer for pins, needles, and thread spools, with a brown velvet pin cushion in the top. The box is 2 1/4 x 1 1/2 with drawer. Sewing clamps came in many forms, most commonly birds and butterflies, and acted as a third hand when hand-stitching seams.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Miss Mabel Whitely
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T12557
label: catalog number
content: T12557.000
label: accession number
content: 235682
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Sewing Clamp
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: bronze (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: silk velvet (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 in x 2 1/4 in x 4 in; 15.24 cm x 5.715 cm x 10.16 cm