Sewing Boxes and Name Tapes

No I'm quite sure Camilla didn't sew on the name tags for her kids and like her, I no longer have a sewing box!

Mum had several sewing boxes and button boxes as she was a great needlewoman. I am forever finding those little embroidered tags saying “handmade with love by…. “. I ordered those for her and she proudly sewed them into anything she made.

The button boxes hold memories of duffle coat toggles, summer dresses,childrens cardis, dollsclothes etc.

My school blazer badge, sports badges, brownie badges etc are all in there.

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I found this in mine, it must have been bought in the 70s.

I still have my daughter's and my son's school name tags in mine. I can't think at 47 and 45 why they would ask me to sew their name into something but you never know

My sewing basket has name tags for all 5 children, DH and a couple of his brothers. I hated doing name tags.

Our daughters argue about should inherit the button box.

Many years ago I bought a hand made wooden sewing box at a jumble sale in the Netherlands. It had the most interesting collection of things in it: an old cigar tube full of crochet hooks; upholstery needles; a box of metal popper fasteners; folding embroidery scissors; a small retractable tape measure and a beautiful enamel box of French pins which I still use. Most of the box is now full of cotton on large reels obtained when a local coat manufacturer closed down. It had enough elastic to hold up an army’s knickers!

I inherited my mother's sewing box, (wooden inlaid marquetry,) which had belonged to her mother who inherited it from an older sister who died. I use it as a jewellery box.
I have name tapes for me, and for my two children, and I sewed them on, not neatly but they stayed in place. I found bias binding, tailors' chalk,cards of hooks and eyes, press studs, thimbles, wooden darning mushrooms and yards of elastic, plus wooden spools of silko thread, and darning wool.
My mother sewed; I do not.

I love my sewing box with all the little bits and bobs inside 🪡🧵

My sewing box is a large one like a small table and concertinas out on both sides. My mother bought it in Hong Kong in the early 1950s and it is beautifully carved and it is a treasured piece.

I am a sewer, not a very good one, so mine has been emptied and sorted many times - but yes, I still have my own school nametapes, the needlecase my beoved maternal grandmother used and all sorts of other things.

We also used to run an antiques stall and at one point sewin boxes sold well and when DD and I bought them at auction, they usually still had their contents in them and we would sort through them, keep a lot, DD is a keen and very good needlewoman, sell on more and throw the rest away.

My sewing box (a small Victorian writing desk adapted by my dad) is packed full with lots of stuff I’m probably never going to use, such as Wundaweb, bias binding, tiny buttons, lace and elastics of all sizes and colours, but the needles and cotton still come in and I lent one of the family my deadly upholstery needle recently. I must have a few dozen Cash’s woven name tapes, most of them with our surname in the middle and our DDs’ names to either side. Canny, but I still had to buy new ones for their brother.

If ever any of them feels the need of a name tape in their coat, I’ll be there!

Maggiemaybe if your grandchildren have the same surname you could just use the middle bit!

A couple of them have, and I did offer. But it seems my sewing skills aren’t needed in these days of adhesive name tapes.

You were kind to offer.
I'm afraid I didn't! .

Cash’s name tapes. That takes you back. We even had to have them on each sock at grammar school in the 50s.
I have a button box and a sewing box. I used to do a lot of embroidery so there are quite a few skeins of embroidery silk, plus needles in the box. Sadly unused now as I can’t see well enough to embroider. But lots of knitting needles and patterns. Love having a sort through it .

Mine has all my children's name tags, swimming badges, brownie badges. My DGC have their names written in black ink! DD1 gets her MIL or me to do any sewing 😂

JamesandJon33

Cash’s name tapes. That takes you back. We even had to have them on each sock at grammar school in the 50s.
I have a button box and a sewing box. I used to do a lot of embroidery so there are quite a few skeins of embroidery silk, plus needles in the box. Sadly unused now as I can’t see well enough to embroider. But lots of knitting needles and patterns. Love having a sort through it .

I remember the name tapes on socks. What a nightmare. I have a large amount of sewing stuff and some of it goes back to my great grandmother. This includes silk thread, probably used for embroidery. I’ve two pairs of pinking shears, tatting thingy and loads of other bits and pieces. It’s the button box with so many odd buttons, none of them very inspiring. My mother cut off loads of shirt buttons once she’d turned the collar twice.

TBH, I love all the old stuff I have.

I keep a very minimal mending box, actually a tupperware with divided areas. Just your basic needles, thread, seam ripper and a thimble. An old jam jar nearby is for buttons, which my Gkids enjoy arranging.

I do remember my Mum's box, though. It was tapestry covered with a silky lining. Much more interesting than mine!

My mother refused to sew anything including name tapes. When I told her I'd got into trouble because my school gym kit wasn't named, she said, tell them if it doesn't have a name tape and it fits you, it's definitely yours. I used the same argument with my own daughter!

My Mums sewing box was something I wanted when she passed away. She was a Needlework teacher who also taught at Night school Soft furnishings, she was amazing.
I was a willing apprentice and able to turn my hand to most thing but not a patch on my mums skills.
I found in her sewing box not sure what you call them? a Needle case /book that I made her, with cross stitch in a fabric with little holes. I have no idea what age I was but probably at Junior school. She kept it all that time.

96 Cash’s name tapes were sewn on when my youngest started boarding at school!
Everything had to be marked!
It was laborious but a necessity.
The joy when they had all finished school was something else.
Sadly I had to do it all again when my mother went into a nursing home.

I inherited my MiL’s sewing basket (and her mega-tin of buttons) and in it I found a couple of school uniform name tapes of Dh’s youngest brother, now 66!

I not only had to sew name tapes on to dds’ uniform, but their initials had to be embroidered on the front of their senior school games sweatshirts - ‘to prevent ‘borrowing’’.

I dread to imagine dd ever having to embroider anything for her children - she’s ‘allergic’ to any sort of sewing! TBH the embroidery was enough of a trial for me.

Yes, Sago, you are right about name tapes for residents in care homes. I sewed on a lot of them for my friend with MS. Her brain was as good as ever but hands no longer worked. I like sewing, so it was a pleasure to sit and chat with her while I sewed.

I did the same with the Cash's name tapes. Surname in the middle and each daughter's name either side to fold under.

And I have one table napkin with my name sewn on which came with me on a school holiday in Torquay at a boys' boarding school in about 1960.