Tuesday 10 - Thimbles

This week's Tuesday 10 with Lena B, Actually is a random theme.  I've thought for a while that I ought to share my thimble collection with my online world.  I've already talked about my love of apples, but thimbles are right up there, too.

One of the questions I usually get when I give someone my email address (thimbleluvr@ . . .) is, "Do you sew?"  At first this threw me because it seemed like such an out-of-the-blue question.  That is, until I realized that people equate using a thimble with sewing.  Yes, I do sew, but I actually do very little hand sewing and I don't think I've used a thimble to sew since I was about 10 years old and helping my Grandma quilt.

I started collecting thimbles when I was 11 or 12.  I've tried to document the different places I've visited and I have many that friends and family members have given to me from their travels.  Others have come from my favorite online site.  So, here's my collection, all 180+ thimbles.

 Since this is a Tuesday 10, I thought I'd highlight some of my favorites or most meaningful thimbles.

Yellowstone Teddy, Alora, Indiana log cabin, Washington apples

 1 - The Yellowstone Teddy - This was the one that started it all.  I grew up a little more than an hour away from Yellowstone National Park and we visited several times a year.  I always tried to use my babysitting money to buy some souvenir on each trip.  One year I had no idea what to get.  One of my aunts suggested I get a thimble and said that some people collect them from all the places they visit.  This seemed like a neat idea and a passion was born.  My mom admits that when she and my dad bought my first display case they never thought it would be filled, let alone have two cases full.

2 - Alora - I discovered an online shop many years ago and found this thimble.  It doesn't have any particular meaning with the design, but the name happens to be the middle name of one of my daughters, and I've never seen anything with that particular spelling, so I had to add this one to my collection.

3 - Indiana log cabin - This one represents my first solo trip.  I flew for the first time and even ended up stranded overnight in the airport 4 hours from home.

4 - Washington apples - My college roommate gave me this thimble because she knew I loved apples.

Heritage thimble, Disneyland Minnie bell, Sphinx , Swan

5 - Heritage thimble - This is the one "real" thimble that I have in my collection.  It was used by my great-aunt.

6 - Disneyland Minnie bell - When I went to Disneyland during my senior year of high school, I couldn't find a thimble other than the one that a friend had bought for me a couple years earlier.  I found this little pewter bell and figured it was about the right size to pass for a thimble.

7 - Sphinx & Swan - When my husband had a job that required him to travel, he knew I expected a thimble from each place he visited.  Usually he was able to find one with the location on it, but sometimes he had to get creative.  Nothing about these thimbles lets you know they are from Michigan and Washington state, but I love them just the same.

Raggedy Ann & Andy

8 - Raggedy Ann & Andy - Sorry for a blurry photo.  I've always loved Raggedy Ann and had a well-loved doll as a child. I couldn't pass up this cute set.

9 - The Care Bears - I was very much a child of the 80s.  I got a Care Bear for Christmas when they were first produced.  When they were re-released my girls fell in love with them, too.  While some of the coloring is off, I still love this row of classic Care Bear thimbles.

10 - Wizard of Oz - I've always loved reading the Wizard of Oz books as well as watching the movie. I knew I had to find a place for this pewter/Swarovski crystal set of thimbles.

So now you know a little bit more about me and the background behind my email name.