It is Friday and time for our second Christmas in July post. I hope you enjoyed last week's Bobbin and Wooden Spool Ornaments. Tawn is back again this week with another furn and easy creation: Antique Thimble Ornaments! So I will turn it over to Tawn.
Somewhere several months ago, I saw this picture of a thimble used as a charm on a necklace. Since then I have been on the prowl at antique shops, eBay and Etsy gathering pretty thimbles for this year’s ornaments.
Here are just a few of the ornaments I have made. I had planned to give them as gifts, but I bought only thimbles that I liked so it may be hard to part with any of them.
Supplies needed:
Thimbles
Ribbon
Charms and/or beads
2 inch eye pins for beading
Needle nose pliers
Wire cutters
First drill or punch a hole in the center of the top of the thimble. The hole should be just big enough to thread the eye pins through. If it is too large, the thimble may become tilted on the eye pin. I am lucky enough to have a hubby who has a drill press. However in a few cases, I have found a hole can be made using a # 90 leather needle and a hammer.
Another discovery I have made is that the thimbles with dimples (a concave center) work better for drilling a hole than the thimbles that have a bump (pimple, convex) in the center of the top. Once the hole is in place I connect 2 of the 2 inch eye pins together, 1 end will become the clapper to which the beads or charm will be attached and the other pin will be inserted through the hole of the thimble.
I insert the double eye pin into the hole of the thimble until the eyes have reached the top and can hold the thimble in place. I cut the wire about 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch longer than the height of the thimble.
This allows enough length to attach a charm and create a loop at the base of the eye pin in order to hold either the charm or beads in place. You now will have one wire 2 inches long and a shorter one for the bell clapper.
Once the length is cut, I remove the pin and attach the charm. Using needle nose pliers, bend the cut end of the eye pin around the charm. Be sure to make the loop around the charm large enough for the charm to move freely. A smaller loop at the cut end can be made to hold beads in place.
Now reinsert the longer wire up through the center hole of the thimble and cut the wire a length that will allow you to create a small loop close to the top of the thimble in which to run the ribbon through.
Ensure the loop is closed small enough to keep the ribbon in place.
A charming ornament to give as a gift,
or decorate your own tree!
