Stiletto or awl of steel with wood handle and handmade protective tip.
Tool has a shaft of rounded steel coming to a sharp point. Mounted on a black-painted, turned wood handle, largest at end and tapering toward steel shaft where it terminates with two turned rings.
A chromed metal slide glides along tool shaft and is clamped in place with a knurled screw. Stamped on this slide is "PATD' APR-6-09" (or 00) and nearby is a symbol with the words "TRADE/ MARK."
Stiletto is fitted with a protective tip made of a bottle cork with crocheted cover and crocheted top ring.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Ribbon threader or bodkin is a blade of nickel-plated non-ferrous metal, in a torpedo shape, wide and rounded at one end and tapering to a point at other end. Two slots are cut in wide end for stringing ribbon that needs to be threaded through casings in waistbands, wristbands, etc.
Stamped inscriptions: On one side of tool is "RIBBON THEADER", "REGISTERED", "No. 3", AND "K.B.C.".
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Stiletto or bodkin of turned bone, fitted in a conical basket-weave holder or sheath.
Stiletto (A) has ball-shaped head with hole in it, then narrowing to a neck with additional swells and narrowing until it tapers from midsection down to a sharp point.
Holder (B) is an elongated cone made with a brown reed-like material woven onto ribs like a basket. Handle is a twisted form of the same material, shaped in a double loop configuration.
It is assumed that this pair of otems were originally dwsigned for each other.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Bodkin of bone is a flattened needle with one rounded end and one end with a blunt point. Slot of 5/8" in length is cut into body near rounded end. This tool is used for threading ribbons, etc. through casings, fabric tubes or loops.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Bodkin of steel is a blunt needle used for threading ribbons, tape or other fabric through casings, loops, etc.
Bodkin is two thin pieces of tapered steel that are laminated together through half their length at narrow end. Two pieces at wider end are separated, allowing a ribbon or other material to be fitted into "jaws" and clamped in place via a sliding mechanism fitted into slot that extends lenthwise toward jaws. Jaws are enabled to hold material without slipping via two raised beads stamped into one side and two matching holes on other side.
Stamped onto one side of tool at midsection is "PATD. MAR. 29. 92."
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Small molded sugar bowl (A) with fitted lid (B), of white-bodied china. Bulbous pear shaped body has leaf molded exterior and four sagging lobes that bulge at the base. Two applied rustic handles. Decorated with dark blue on upper 1/3 of bowl. Gold-painted highlights on one side only, on handles and embossed leaves at sides. On side of body in stamped, gold lettering is: "Souvenir/ of/ Lancaster/ Pa."
Fitted, domed lid (B) is molded with foliate inspiration with rustic handle/finail.
Stamped underneath in gold is a crown over shield witht the monogram of "TGC"(?) The number "12" also stamped in gold.
Provenance
Donor believes this set was purchased at Woolworth's store in Lancaster.
Sugar bowl with lid, hard-paste eathenware has white clay body hand-decorated with cobalt blue. Squat, bulbous body sits on foot ring; pot-belly sides have a large beaded shoulder leading to a narrowed neck and finishing with an outward flaring rim w/ coggled edge. Four or five blue bands painted while on the wheel and remainder painted freehand. Bulbous section alternates with two different leaf designs suspended from the blue-painted shoulder bead. Large round dots are spaced between each leaf. Coggled edge is blue and top of rim has a leaf form painted in two rows. The domed lid has a bee skep finial painted blue, a wide blue strip at botom edge of lid and four leaves in mid-section of same two designs as on bulbous body. Clear glaze over all.
Small "S" impressed underneath at side, perhaps signifying the potter.
Good 3/8" long chip at coggled rim edge showing a very white clay which suggest a later date. Wear and soil at bottom and soil scattered over entire piece. Overall crazing.
Object ID
G.81.7
Credit
Gift of Florence Starr Taylor in memory of Annie Mottern Taylor, Heritage Center Collection
Box of mourning pins. Paper matchbox covered in dark gray paper has top, fitted lid with a paper label. Label is priinted with scrolls at corners and a football shaped reserve at center has "80 MOURNING PINS / ASST / Germany." Black head pins with blue shafts within. Less than half this number remain.
Used for securing black clothing such as veils and hats during the time of mourning a death.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Needle and pin case in sun bonnet form with off-white finely woven sheer cotton or silk. Rigid visor of light cardboard is covered with fabric and folds at top. Cap section is gathered at neck. Trimmed with four pink satin bows and a strawberry of emory covered with silk and embroidery on short string at crown. Metal snap closure inside visor.
Interior of visor has attached strip of twill wool with sawtooth edge. Pins and needles are inserted and stored in this fabric.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Needle book of printed heavy paper containing 32 needles, folded to resemble a book. Advertising item lists coal business on inside.
White printed covers have four children in 19th c. clothing on the front and four on the back. They are all involved sewing activities. Front cover at top reads "SEWING SOCIETY/ NEEDLE BOOK" and at bottom is "Egg shaped eyes/ -And swelled centre."
Verse on back cover reads "In Your Time Of Need-/ It is Needless to look for Any Thing/ BETTER THAN ME." At the bottom is "OUR NEEDLES/ ARE THE BEST." Donor's sticker with "Kiker" is at bottom corner.
Inside covers printed in red on brown-colored paper. Paper packet of 3/9 needles affixed to left side; pasted to right side is a swatch of dark loose-weave fabric displaying an arrangement of seven variously sized needles.
Near bottom is printed "Manufactured to Order by J.A. COATES & SONS, Limited." and below this is "ORRIN O. WARE./ GENERAL MERCHANDISE."
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Needle book of printed heavy paper containing needles, folded to resemble a book. Advertising item lists coal business on inside.
White printed covers have four children in 19th c. clothing on the front and four on the back. They are all involved in sewing activities. Front cover at top reads "SEWING SOCIETY/ NEEDLE BOOK" and at bottom is "Egg shaped eyes/ -And swelled centre."
Verse on back cover reads "In Your Time Of Need-/ It is Needless to look for Any Thing/ BETTER THAN ME." At the bottom is "OUR NEEDLES/ ARE THE BEST."
Inside covers printed in red on brown-colored paper. Paper packet of 1/6 needles affixed to left side; pasted to right side is a swatch of dark loose-weave fabric displaying an arrangement of six variously sized needles (large center on is missing and the 3rd from left is broken).
Near bottom is printed "Manufactured to Order by J.A. COATES & SONS, Limited." and below this is "ORRIN O. WARE./ GENERAL MERCHANDISE."
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Paper slightly buckled with darkening along bottom section or interior. Slight wear at edges with minor dogear damage at bottom corners. Short tear at bottom fold of book. Short fold line extends near top at fold of book. Small dent at middle of right edge of back cover. Center needle missing, one at left of center is broken.
Object ID
G.05.15.12
Credit
Gift of Susan Garofola in memory of Lillian Kiker (mother), Heritage Center Collection
Needle case of turned hardwood (maple?). Cylindrical body was turned in two pieces and strong chamfers at each blunt ends. Center band of glossy black with three scored lines at midpoint. Ends also painted black with a score line on each. Additional daubs of black paint on unpainted body.
Cylinder is hollow for holding needles. One third of body pulls off like a cap, sliding off a male extension of the 2/3 section. No contents.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Needle case of cast silver is a square-bodied long container that tapers from one end to the other. Made of 2 pieces, the thickest end is the cap that fits on a male extension of the main body. The length of each side of case is constructed of identical cast pieces of silver with a soldered seam still visible.
Decorated with low-relief roses on cap; grapevine and football shape are on main body. Small panels on narrower sides have a slogan in German: "ZUM / ANDENKEN / KEINE ROSEN / OHNE DORNEN" which translates as a warning to not prick one's self with the needle. Literally, it states "Remember (there are) no roses without thorns."
Possibly Germany
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Needle case with needle threader, two pieces, a long metal tubular case of bronzed metal. Most of the object is the hollow tubular handle, 2.75" in length, with one rounded end and male-shaped "cap" fitting into opposite end. Handle has bery fine ribs running lengthwise on exterior. Cap end is very short with a smooth exterior. It has one rounded end while opposite end - that fits into handle - is fitted with a fine wire loop used to thread needles. The loop is mounted into red-painted wood which is in turn set into cap's hollow end. To use tool, cap is removed, reversed end for end, and reinserted into hollow handle.
On side of cap is stamped "GERMANY."
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Sewing kit, rectangular box shape consists of folding exterior of black-brown leather that wraps around an inner box of rigid leather covered sides that has a flap lid with snap closure. Inner box and outer wrap both covered with the same pliable black-brown leather with pink satin lining. Wrap has stitched compartments inside as well as three graduated size rectangular flaps of fabric for holding pins & needles. Top flap embroidered with pink floral design.
Box inside has empty interior except for a corner loop for holding a 1) thimble of non-ferrous, darkened metal (long oblique crack on side continues along nearly-flat top; flattened shape) and 2) an inexpensive ferrous metal scissors having stamped scrolls on handles.
Inscriptions: Paper label found in case w/ leather residue on reverse says "Shaker Chrome Leather." This was likely the name of the leather finish of this case.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Needle and thread case, heart shape. Folded paper form creating six flat sections appears to be a geometric heart when closed with top strap fitted with snap closure. Exterior covered with dark blue silk with white polka dots. Interior lined with dark blue silk. Efge embroidered with button hole stitch in red.
Interior fitted with six straps of white elastic for holding small cards of thread or pieces of fabric pierced with needles and pins. Currently holds three small color-printed cards of white, blue-green and blue thread as well as one swatch of fabric with needles and pins.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Miniature cruet set of four bottles and caddy, clear glass and non-ferrous base metal.
Four tall vial-like, clear glass bottles, one with its metal cap. Bottles appear to be mold-blown, cylindrical and have a pronounced ring extending outward at mid point, a long narrowing neck and flared lip. Bottles fit into a rotating metal carrying ring at midpoint of caddy, suspended by their glass protruding ring. An oval ring handle on stem with threaded end fits into female-threaded pedestal base which flares out toward bottom.
A raised letter "W" appears twice underneath base.
Provenance
Descent to Sarah Muench from family, perhaps her Aunt Alice Potter Fordney, an antiques dealer.
Darning egg, classic shape, hardwood, painted black. No handle.
No inscriptions or other markings.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Darning egg of hardwood, classic shape, painted black and set on a hollow handle of silver-plated cast metal with the facr of a woman above a cabochon flanked by C-scrolls, all above floral decoration. Both identical halves of handle were joined with a visible seam and plated with silver.
Woman's hair has whiplash curves, denoting Arts Nouveau influence.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Very good condition with minor scratches on egg. Hndle is breaking at seam where attached to egg; secured with wire. Residue of white silver polish in crevices.
Object ID
G.05.15.2
Credit
Gift of Susan Garofola in memory of Lillian Kiker (mother), Heritage Center Collection
Mold-blown amber glass darning egg with fitted aluminum handle in two pieces. Handle is hollow and tapers to a rounded tip. Where affixed to glass there is a knurled grip-ring, under which is a large threading (like the base of a light bulb). A second slightly larger handle of aluminum, with conforming shape, nests over the first and screws onto the first handle.
Glass egg is embossed with "S.C. FLEXON & CO. / WILLIAMSTOWN, N.J." and "PAT. PENDING." On opposite side of egg is "Ideal" in cursive.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
