Parker Sewing Bird

[Bruce Day]

In another thread are displayed some Lefever and Parker accessories. Questions were raised about the following photos of a Parker Sewing Bird. Of the household and industrial items produced by the Charles Parker Company, these sewing birds are some of the most rare, unusual and interesting. They are quite costly today as collectors items, regardless of whether they were made by the Charles Parker Company.

They were made from the late 17th to the 19th centuries and used by seamstresses to hold down sewing work to a table. Many used a bird shape, hence the name sewing bird, but other animal shapes were sometimes used. Some had attached pincushions, others not.

There are sewing bird collectors, like anything else.

The owner hopes others enjoy seeing these rarities. These items, even to own one, represents a lengthy quest and a price in excess of what many think reasonable.

[Bruce Day]

I forgot to write that the unusual feature about these sewing birds is that previously clamps were used to hold the fabric and the clamp screw had to be turned and loosened to move the fabric. These sewing birds were a clamp base with a spring biased second clamp on top, so that the seamstress squeezed the portions of the top clamp to loosen a hold on the fabric. Much faster and easier.