Needle Little Bit of Love?
Needle Little Bit of Love? Magnetic needle case.
Magnetic needle case - open.
Hello Fabulous Beaders,
Today, we take them for granted. But in history, the sewing needle was a treasured item. Early mankind, say around 28,000 BC, used bone, antler or wood to carve out needles that would be used for sewing plant fibers, gut or sinew. These needles didn’t have an eye; they had what would be more like slits in one end that would use compression to hold the fiber.
By the Bronze age, around 7,000 BC, needles have been found in copper, iron and bronze. Sadly, preservation of these items is virtually impossible, as the materials oxidized so much, that the metallic needles, of this time period, are rarely found in good condition.
In 1496, Leonardo DaVinci constructed a machine to point sewing needles. Up until this time, needles were crude and roughly made, usually by a blacksmith. In 1567, a factory in England learned how to draw fine steel wires. They then produced over 90% of the world’s needles by the 19th century.
Read the fascinating full story of what inspired this piece.
Happy Beading!
Cynthia
