My Grandmothers Thimble

I am making headway - slowly, on the wedding gown. I've had some great resources including books a friend lent me. I've read, and read, and read some more. One thing they recommend is to underline the dress with silk organza:i  it gives it more body. Luckily I always have silk in the house and ALWAYS silk organza - it's so great for printing, so there was plenty to be had. They also recommend hand basting the organza to each piece. It's an important step to do by hand as silk slips easily.  How long is this going to take!  Okay, so pin first - each piece has been pinned. with lots of pins!

And now for the basting; I've always liked hand sewing so this is kind of a fun "no brainer". I've also always made small basting stitches so it's slow going.

I've always used a thimble, from my very early years of sewing; it's never been never awkward for me. I have lots of thimbles but there's only one I reach for - My grandmothers (she was always "nana"). My nana has been out of my life for a long time but I remember when she lived next door and was a big part of my life. She was a feisty woman; she believed a woman could do anything. She never called a repair man or handy man. I remember seeing her on a ladder painting the outside of the house, fixing small appliances, doing all sorts of things considered "untouchable" by women back then. But best of all, she could sew - Wow, could she ever! She had a certain thimble she used; it was so beautiful, sterling silver with engraved designs covering parts of it. I used to visit her sewing box to look at it and try it on. At some point, when she was quite old, she pulled out the box and gave it to me. Of all the things she had - this I cherished the most.

I love it, don't know if it's because it connects me to my grandmother or just because it's a great thimble. Either way, I use it all the time, it just feels right. I don't often reflect on where it came from, but using it now brought back the memories.A thimble given to me 30+ years ago,  I'm now using to make Jill's gown. And did I mention that my daughter is getting married on my Nana's (her great-grandmothers) birthday. How special is that - it's a coincidence, a big one, and a good one - one that gives me the "goosebumps"! I know some things go full circle;  who woulda thought - a thimble!