In the amazing, super 4" loom find from last weekend, I not only had two 4" looms, but nine of these sample cards. I think they were probably done back when the looms were still new. If you look closely, you can see the notes on each sample:
As part of my super, amazing 4" loom discovery, here are the instructions to the Simplex Hand Loom, which was made in Illinois back in the 1930s.
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I don't know what else to call this post… I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! It's super! Amazing!
Last fall, when I found the Wonder Weave in a nearby thrift store, I decided that's it–I probably found my quota of good bargains and I'd never get an actual Weave-it loom. So I bought a Hazel Rose loom, and it's really nice, but you know how it goes, each time I enter an antique store or thrift store, I scan the aisles for those little square frames. Matter of fact, when I'm back in the store where I spotted the Wonder Weave, I hesitate in that very aisle, looking around, just hoping maybe…
And then it happened! Yesterday, in the same store (different aisle), I found this box marked $16.95. "Weaver Set," it said. "1933 – 1945. Books, and etc.":
So, what's in this special Weaver box? I'll detail it all in later posts, but for now here's a peek:
I love discovering crafting supplies from days gone by. I like thinking that we share a common fascination with all things loomy with crafters from seventy years ago. Plus, finding this also shows that they're still out there–bargains in dusty aisles of thrift stores, just waiting for you to find them, call them special, and bring them home.
Coming soon: a closer look at the looms, the booklets, and the samples.
I've been busy making flowers, both with my Crazy Daisy Winder and my trusty Knifty Knitter flower loom. It's funny that I needed to find another flower loom–the Crazy Daisy–to realize I already owned one. So far, I'm doing fine with the wrapping, using yarn or embroidery floss (more on that later) but the stitching of the middle is a bit tough. I'm getting there, however, and have big plans for my flowers. You can see I'm using different wraps. On the Knifty Knitter loom, I wrap the pegs between two to four times, but the little Daisy loom only takes once or twice to make a full flower.
This week, I decided to buy some embroidery thread for the Daisy loom. The yarn I was using just wasn't fine enough, plus I thought the bright colors and smooth texture of floss would make for some pretty flowers. One night I stopped at the only store that's on the drive home–Walmart–and found they no longer carry floss! I was just a little shocked. The next night, we stopped to browse in a local thrift/discount store in town and I was thrilled to find a big tin of embroidery floss for about $9.00. Once I got home, I started looking through the stash and realized it was even more special than I first thought.
The floss is old, but the colors are still vivid. Many of them are marked two cents ($.02) but most are priced at eight cents ($.08). When was the last time embroidery floss sold for two cents?? I realized that this was a very old collection, put together by someone who really loved to embroider. Most of the collection was carefully stored in plastic bags, but there was a bunch tangled together. Somewhere from within that colorful nest I found a few needles, a strand of pefectly teeny tiny red beads (can you imagine the care it would take to embroider beads that size?!), and a big clue to the time/place of the collector: an ad from a Wisconsin newspaper with the date of 1932 on the bottom.
Many of the embroidery threads are marked from J.C. Penney, but most say France. I've been carefully selecting some accent colors from this tin to highlight my flowers. I have a feeling it will last a long time, and I'm so pleased to have found it.