Case, Needle

Description

"Purse-shaped" woven poplar needle case trimmed in white kid leather. Pink ribbon at top of case, tied in a bow. Interior of case has a purple fabric lining and pieces of cream and green-colored wool for needle storage. Edges of wool pieces have a zigzag pattern.

Notes

Museum records indicate that this set of needlecases were acquired from and made at Sabbathday Lake, ME. However, the weave pattern suggests that the poplar was woven at Mount Lebanon, which is characterized by the straight, solid lines of the threading rather than a twill or top/bottom alternating weave. According to Michael Graham, director of the Shaker Museum at Sabbathday Lake, the bow at top is characteristic of work made at Canterbury, NH. Also, he believes that woven poplar that remained at Mount Lebanon after its closure in 1947 was given to or purchased by the Shakers at Canterbury, also suggesting that these pieces originated at Canterbury, not Sabbathday Lake.