Christmas In October!

As a sequel to last week’s post about thread, I got an early Christmas present: a thread cabinet to put it all in! I’ve outgrown my plastic shoe box method of storage, and was looking for a bona fide spool cabinet. I saw an antique J.P. Coats one online for over a thousand dollars and figured “that ain’t gonna happen.” My favorite antique store to the rescue! Those ladies must love to see the QL Mobile pull up, because I always walk out of there with something.


Here’s my something: an Art Deco dresser from the 1930s with original Bakelite drawer pull inserts, made with real wood and dovetail joints. It’s so beautiful. I know it’s not a thread cabinet, but it will do the job. Plus, there’s extra room for fabric!

Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s. It was an opulent style, and its lavishness is attributed to reaction to the forced austerity imposed by World War I. The structure of Art Deco is based on mathematical geometric shapes, and was widely considered to be an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism. Eventually though, the style was cut short by the austerities of World War II. The dresser has “Denmark Manufacturing Company” stamped on the back, but I couldn’t find any information about the company. If anyone knows anything about this particular dresser and/or the Denmark Manufacturing Company, I would love to know more.

Time to move the thread into their new home!

Another Addiction?

To quote one of my blogging buddies, “I got thread!” 54 new old spools of thread were delivered into my hot little hands today, bringing my spool count up to 267 including an approximately 80 year old French blue variegated from Cartier Bresson (last pic). Is that too many? Perish the thought! Like vintage fabric and buttons, I love vintage thread. I don’t know if it’s the age or the colors; most likely both. I also adore the old label graphics on wooden spools. They’re a treasure all their own. I’ve read that thread degrades in quality as it ages, but I have never (jinx!) found that to be the case. Probably because it has spent decades in Grandma’s dark, temperature controlled sewing box. I’ll seek a 12 step program is thread starts to take over my life, but it’s going to have to get in line behind fabric and buttons!