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Wednesday, January 8, 2020

New year, new thread

I have an antique thread cabinet that I purchased a few years ago at the DC Big Flea market. I bought it with the intention of holding antique tatting shuttles, and I did use it for that purpose until recently. After joining Instagram and seeing lovely photos of DMC tatting thread, I wondered if this thread would fit into the cabinet. I knew I'd be in trouble if it did...because then I'd have to go on a shopping spree. Well guess what? It fit perfectly:


This thread cabinet was originally meant for sewing thread, but I don't sew. Instead, I tried to match the colors of the DMC thread to the labels in the cabinet as best I could. I even bought extra thread so that I could tat things without messing up the display:


This thread (DMC special dentelles, size 80) has been discontinued in the US, so it was a little difficult to find vendors that had it in stock. I placed a lot of online orders over several months, and eventually moved onto shops based in the UK. I found Minerva Crafts to be a good option, because they carry a wide variety of colors and restock whenever they run out.

The thread cabinet has a glass top that opens and closes on a hinge. The photo below shows it in a closed position:


My antique tatting shuttles have since been moved into different displays, one is a Milward's Needles display and the other is a Clark's Mile End set of drawers. Maybe I will post pictures of those sometime in the future.
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9 comments:

  1. West Pine CreationsJanuary 8, 2020 at 10:53 PM

    That's awesome....what a find.

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  2. God's KidJanuary 9, 2020 at 12:38 AM

    So cool!!! :)
    And you are too funny, yep, having to go on a spending spree to fill it. ;)

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  3. MichelleJanuary 9, 2020 at 6:53 AM

    So beautifully, visually appealing! What a glorious range of color! So glad to hear of Minerva crafts (such a clever name) too. Going to the UK this summer and will have a postal address where I could have things delivered, wahoo! Love size 80!

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  4. Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ DianeJanuary 9, 2020 at 7:09 AM

    What a lovely way to display your threads! I love that you collect threads in addition to everything else you do!

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  5. Margarets designer cardsJanuary 12, 2020 at 8:30 AM

    Brilliant way to display your thread, a very good find it’s amazing what turns up in markets

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  6. Madtatter80January 14, 2020 at 11:34 PM

    I really love the whole picture and the antique thread keeper on your lovely tatting what fun you will have😊🦋😊

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  7. KasiaNJanuary 22, 2020 at 2:48 AM

    Oh, what a beautiful display! I like it very much. Old shuttles are only in my dreams, but maybe one day I'll have one :) DMC Special Dentelles is too thin for me... I just can't close the rings and it makes me angry :)

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  8. NicolaJanuary 27, 2020 at 10:54 AM

    I love this little display cabinet. A vendor had one for sale at a local antique/flea market close to me, with lots of thread also, and I fell in love with it then. (I didn't buy it, as the price was, if I remember rightly, around $300. Interested in what you paid for it.

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  9. Robin PerfettiJanuary 27, 2020 at 11:33 AM

    Thanks KasiaN and Nicola. KasiaN, the DMC thread is highly twisted, which sometimes makes it hard to close rings. I will occasionally let my shuttle spin in the air to reduce the twist before starting the next ring.

    Nicola, if I remember correctly, this thread cabinet was $125. I have another (wooden) thread cabinet with a glass display top that says “Milward’s Needles” on it, and that one was $150. I also have a wooden spool cabinet that contains two drawers reading “Clark’s” and “Mile-End” and that was $175. None of the displays are that big, they will all fit on a table top (the large displays I’ve seen at antique shops are more expensive). All were purchased within the last five years.

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