Antique
Sewing Birds & Antique Figural Sewing Clamps
We can help you sell your Sewing
Collections!
As dealers of antique and collectible sewing machines, we also
deal in many different vintage sewing related accessories. We are particularly
interested in antique sewing clamps or
"sewing birds". These devices are
referred to as "third-hands" and were used by the early seamstress to assist with hand mending
and fancy needlework.
These vintage and
oftentimes
patented devices were fastened to a work table by a thumb-screw or other clamping
action and acted as a vise of sorts to securely hold one end of the
fabric that was being worked on, thus enabling it to be held taut with one hand by the seamstress in order that
her other hand would be free to do the stitching.
Manufacturers of the day promoted the health-related benefits of these
needlework tools,
claiming they eliminated rounded shoulders and stooped backs while
sewing. But clearly for the lady of comfortable means who could afford it,
these needlework tools were pieces of art that were treasured symbols of
status and were often given and received as tokens of love.
Sewing clamps can
range from incredibly ornate and elaborate to very simple and plain.
The clamp pictured above on the right uses a simple swinging arm
mechanism to secure the fabric. This particular one is a bit
bigger and heavier-duty than the typical swing arm Victorian design
clamps, and it was probably used for leather, wool, canvas,
and other
heavy materials.
Sewing
Bird / Clamp
Consignment Sales
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We are active dealers of
sewing birds / clamps and other antique and Victorian sewing and
needlework accessories---such as pinking machines, chatelaines, tape
measures, fancy scissors, darners and more. We are always interested in
helping you sell your collections through
the Consignment Program we offer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
If you have antique sewing clamps or Victorian needlework tools that you want to
consign, please email us for details on our consignment program at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com.
Below
are examples of some of the more unusual figural sewing
clamps we are seeking, which include those made of ivory, wood, brass, silver, steel, or cast
iron. We are especially seeking unusual and elaborate figural
examples, or those with attached holders or boxes to store threads, wax, needles, emery,
thimbles, etc. like the finely worked sewing clamp shown at the left.
Some were made as almost little portable work stations and a very
interesting and desirable model that we are looking for is known as the
"Lady's Companion". It has all sorts of accessories and features that the
typical clamp does not. Some of these devices came equipped with
their own thimbles while others had scissors or thread cutters
incorporated into their design.
We
are actively seeking figural
sewing clamps, especially those in the shapes of
animals, bugs or other
critters. Pictured here is a "sewing dog", who obediently
lays on top of his pincushion bed and helps out by gripping the fabric in his mouth.
This
fabulous elk clamp is all cast iron with two thread-winding spools made
of bone on either side of his incredible rack. To hold the fabric
you gently pull back on his delicate antlers to open up his jaw, insert
the fabric, then release. This figural clamp is extremely rare, probably
a one-of-a-kind, and crosses over from the category of sewing into the
realm of folk art. If you have sewing clamps of this caliber we
can help you realize the most for your collection.
Two
other great figural sewing or needlework clamps are the butterfly clamp
shown here, and the cherub clamp at the top of the page. Both of
these were popular Victorian images, and there are numerous variations on
the cherub theme. We would be interested in hearing about any
unusual sewing clamps that look anything at all like these that you would
like to sell.
Another
favorite image or theme for figural antique sewing "birds" is
that of the fish, or dolphin, or other mythological underwater critters
including dragons and monsters. The more elaborate and detailed the better! Here is a neat one
that we have seen a lot of different variations of, some with pincushions, some
without, some more grotesque and others simpler and more stylized.
Not
all sewing clamps were designed with a "vise" for holding the
fabric. The
example shown here is designed to be a thread winder with 4
individual spools that the seamstress could use to keep 4 different colors
of thread within easy reach. The pincushion on top could be used
simply to hold extra pins, or the fabric being worked on could actually be
pinned to it to serve the same function as the vise-style sewing
clamps.
Another
unusual style collectible sewing clamp is this unique design, which actually consisted
of three clamps. The center one is a pincushion and the two on the
ends are thread winders. All three are attached to each other, and could be adjusted in width with an accordion-style
mechanism. There are many different styles of these antique
needlework devices, even ones that have a place for a pair of scissors, or
ones that have a thread cutter or sharpener worked into the design.
Some
of the sewing
birds and clamps that you see pictured on this page once belonged to me and are
now in the collection of Robert M. Soares, an extraordinary collector and friend.
