Antique Victorian Sewing Bird Clamp Pin Cushion Helping Hand Patented Feb 1853

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Offered here for your bidding perusal is this handsome and ornate brass antique sewing bird clamp with a patent date of February 15, 1853! This interesting sewing tool is also known as a "helping hand" for its functional uses to the home sewer. The bird could be clamped on the edge of a table where it would stay at the ready to hold onto needle work in its beak for the Victorian seamstress. Also, the bird originally came with two small pin cushions to hold pins and needles. One pin cushion would have been found in the cup on the bird's back, amd the other would have been screwed onto the top of the clamp (both are now missing). This handy little item was not only practical, but decorative as well. Note the lovely embossed details stamped into the brass, including the patent information on each wing, as pictured. The metal has oxidized with time and exposure, making the embossed designs stand out against the age darkened patina. I show the bird with a small embroidered crazy quilt in its beak. The hinged beak does not clamp down sufficiently to hold onto a tinner piece of fabric as some sort of damage has occurred to the hinge mechanism. Still, a great conversation piece! The clamp measures 5" tall, and the bird alone measures 3 3/4" long. Please see my other listings for more interesting finds, including more antique sewing tools. read more

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