New Project: a Victorian-inspired Sewing Box

 I recently read a biography of the Bronte sisters that was both exciting and inspiring (you can read my thoughts about it on my Substack account here ). The book, called The Bronte Cabinet is a study of the Bronte sisters' through their objects. One of the things discussed in the book is Charlotte Bronte's sewing box. 

Inside her box are wonderful little treasures, such as measuring tapes (there are two, one inside a shell, the other in an acorn shape), threads, another acorn which houses a thimble, a pill box, ribbons and others items. 

Charlotte Bronte's sewing box, Bronte Parsonage Museum.

When Nick and I went to Hobby Lobby recently, I saw a jewelry box in their aisle of boxes to paint and when I looked inside, I realized it would make a great reproduction of a sewing box like the one above. 

I've looked up similar boxes, to see what they're like. They're made of wood, and while I'll stain the sides of my box, Nick is going to help me paint the top (I've been sketching out various scenes -- I haven't decided on one yet).

Some of the boxes I've seen even have mirrors in them, as my box does! 

This box, listed on Theriault's dates from around 1880. The lid has a mirror, and you can
see bone awls, a thimble and other items. 

I might try to put some fabric around the edges of the mirror, as is done in the above example. 

My soon-to-be sewing box!

I'm going to use some things I learned in book-making to line the little trays of my box. 

The paper I'm using to line the trays.

When it is finished, I have a lot of vintage and antique items I can put inside, most of which were inherited from Nick's grandma (whose house had items in it dating back to the 1880s at least!). 

An antique awl, thimbles, buttons, hooks & eyes, scissors & old thread (the big one is J.P. Coats, a company that began in Paisley, Scotland).

I'm very excited to start working on this. I'll line the trays first, then paint the top (maybe a scene similar to the one on my Bride Box, which I haven't posted about, so I'll include a photo below). 

My bride box - a large, hand-painted box used most likely for the wedding garments. 
Nick & I found this when we were in New York, and it probably dates from the 1830s.

Then we'll finish by staining the sides. I'm glad I have a project to work on (I'll be having surgery soon & I hope I can work on things like this while I'm recovering) and I'm glad that Nick will help me with the painting and staining!