I told you earlier that the thrift store has been good to me lately. I told about stuff I found in Friday’s post… Check THIS LINK if you missed that.
On the same day, I found this sewing basket. It had some goodies that I wanted to share with you in its own post. The basket is pretty dated and was made of plastic.
I opened it up in the store, rummaged through a bit, and decided I would buy it. My intention was to take what I was interested in and take what I wasn’t interested in back to the thrift store. Goodness knows I don’t need another sewing basket.
It was priced at $5.
I got it the counter and realized it was cracked in the back. I was hesitant about buying and said something to the clerk…then realized it didn’t matter because I wasn’t keeping the basket anyway…then before I could say anything the clerk said would you take it if it was only $2. SURE!!
Here is what was inside. Take a look and see if you spot what intrigued me. This is the top shelf…
This was the bottom shelf…
I pulled out the thimbles and kept them.
These old tatting shuttles were in rough shape.
I pulled and kept these two old wooden spools.
There was a big roll of elastic and embroidery hoops.
There were more goodies…most I passed by.
Check out this pocket repair kit.
Can you see one thing that caught my eye??
This tin. I love old tins…
It was filled with pins.
I flipped it over and found out it was a typewriter ribbon tin. I wish nowadays items came in a tin that was reusable. I kept this.
It was a nice find and I have it in my sewing room now as I write…but it wasn’t the thing that really made me buy the basket. Can any of you guess what made me buy the basket? I’ll show you the pictures of the top and bottom of the basket one more time.
Do you see anything you want a closer look at??
When I saw the basket I immediately focused on the blue tube. I love that shade of blue but more importantly, what was it?? I couldn’t think of any sewing notion in that style.
I opened it up. WHAT?
Is that a thimble inside? How cute…a thimble holder I thought.
Then I pulled out the thimble and what, how cute. There was a black and a white mini spool of thread. Oh my…cuteness overload. But what was the metal piece on the spools for?
I figured to hold the thimble but then I shook it and could hear something rattling. Hmm. I pulled on the metal top. The top came off. Inside were needles.
Oh, my cuteness overload for sure. It was a mini sewing kit for someone to put in their purse in case of emergency. Oh my.
I opened the case and discovered this cute little mending kit while I was in the store. I was going to buy it for my collection of vintage sewing notions even if it was $5. I thought it was the cutest thing ever.
I didn’t keep a lot else…the tin, the thimbles, wooden spools, and the sewing kit were enough.
It was a fun little treasure hunt day and it gave me a smile for the day!!
Hi Jo-I have tried twice to sign up for the blog emails and have not received a confirmation email. I have checked my spam folder.
I gonna come up to Iowa and shop at thrift stores some time. I NEVER find anything like the kinda stuff you find. I nearly always walk out empty-handed. The sewing box was a nice little treasure trove of goodies!
I have a similar sewing kit that came from my grandmother. It has the Eastern Star design on it. I’m guessing they got them for a special event at one of their meetings.
Hi Jo, I have that SAME, EXACT green sewing box; guessing that makes me feel old now.
How fun and what a cute little sewing kit! Sometimes I think it would be so fun to have known the owner of such treasures.
I wondered what little blue thing was that was in the top. Glad you showed it. That is cute. Thanks for sharing.
Love the little tin with the cyclamen on top. That mini sewing kit intrigued me too when I saw the photo
The typewriter ribbon tin is a treasure I can identify with! My Dad repaired office equipment and he brought home the prettiest ones for his girls…my Mom, my sister, and me. Yes, we kept sewing pins, hair pins, and little treasures in them and somewhere I still have one with the tab keys (to set the tabulation stops) for my first typewriter. I understand they are quite collectable.
The little sewing kit is so special. I’ve never seen one like it before. I thought it was a just a needle case. I guess you really do learn something new every day!
What a super cute sewing kit. I had the same sewing basket but mine was chocolate brown and a Christmas gift from my children. The handle eventually broke, and the back cracked but how I used that lovely box for making costumes, mending worn out knees, lots of memories. Thanks for sharing.
The two older, dark vintage thimbles could totally be sterling.
Hey, I have a sewing box like that only a bit darker in color. My MIL gave it to me one Christmas in the mid 70’s! Don’t use it except for storage of notions. Love the cute sewing kit!
How lucky can you get! Buy one of those lottery tickets!
I also have a sewing kit like yours but in a yellow with green case. I have it displayed on top of the dresser in my sewing room along with a couple of needle cases.
Would you let me know what email address I can reach you through? I have items that you might like to auction off for postage fund but don’t want to send them without sending you pictures first to see if you are interested in getting them. Thank you.
You can reach me at joscountryjunction@gmail.com
Thank you Jo
What I spotted was the thimbles. I collect them and think you really got a deal. Also liked the sewing kit and tin.
This is from the early 1970’s, I had the same one in brown.
Oh Mylanta Jo! What a great find, and so fun. This is my first time reading your articles, and I “sew” enjoyed this one. I too have an old sewing basket, full of unusual notions. The basket is at least 65 years old. I was just going to donate it, along with all the contents. After reading your article; I thought it would be great to connect with people that collect vntg notions. I would love to give them away.
That’s so sweet of you to thing of others. There are many of us who collect vintage sewing goodies.
I had a green sewing box just like that! I’m not sure what happened to it, but I’d love to find one.
Thank you for sharing.
My mother in law left me a bakelite sewing basket. It’s no longer in perfect shape but my 14 yr old granddaughter uses it every day. The weirdest thing I ever found in a thrifted sewing basket was an ampule of smelling salts!! Poor corseted ladies who had to keep smelling salts with them at all times, in case they passed out!
By Just reading about your beautiful finds and seeing the pictures brought on nostalgia. My mother and auntie had sewing items like those. You were very fortunate to find them. I wish they were mine. Thank you for sharing the pictures and story.
Your “wooden bobbins” are tatting shuttles. It’s a fun thing to learn.
The items you called wooden spools are tatting shuttles that are used to make lace.
My best friend growing up had a green one back in the 70’s. I did a quick search on eBay, same plastic box sells anywhere from $20s-$90s range. Crazy!! Goes to show you never know what you’ll find in a thrift store. Thanks for sharing!
Nice find! There’s some pretty cool stuff in there. Lucky you!!
I have this same exact sewing basket, in excellent. It was my mothers (she’s now 73).