Friday 14 February 2014

Sure as eggs is eggs...



Old, worn, pottery eggs in a hand blown glass jar....


Random shapes, glazes and sizes...


Used to encourage hens to lay or for dealing with temperamental, broody hens who won't get off the nest I was told. 
The little ones I presume are for bantams.

Known as "boody" or "clucker" eggs here in the North of England.... Are there any other names from different parts of the country I wonder?

No chicks with these pottery eggs, but a little cutie in this half shell.


It hangs over a magnet in the plastic shell and wobbles in and out when held in the hand.


No value but it makes me smile with its funny little face!

Finally, a Victorian treen egg...


The Columbian Egg Needle Case.

It unscrews and the base of the egg pushes up,


To reveal a pop up dispenser with a hole, which when turned to the different number on the side, releases the right size needle.




Ingenious invention and a typical Victorian novelty. 
However, I am not sure if it saw much needlework service... It would drive me nuts filling the seperate compartments and having to push and twist each time I needed a needle.

 Much prefer my French toile, egg shaped pin cushion given to me ages ago by lovely Jo Ross of Hesta Nesta (  no longer blogging.. Boo hoo..but on Facebook now with far too many Pugs by her AGA and a great eye for vintage costume and accessories )


Gateshead Fair tomorrow and Miss Ottie is coming along for the ride... 
Should be fun!
Julie x

10 comments:

  1. I have a little collection of pottery eggs and have been wondering what to display them in, they were my Aunts and I treasure them. Jane x

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  2. Mr N will be disappointed we're off to Lancashire tomorrow, though our dear boy and his girlfriend have two black Labradors for him to play with. We had a chicken to pet for a while this morning, escaped from a neighbour's coop in the gales - but despite liberal handfuls of luxury muesli she soon scuttled off home.

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  3. sitting quietly with a cuppa (bone china of course) catching up with blogs, so pleased to read yours- I've missed seeing what everyone has been up to, but things here have been a bit hectic with organising the next fair/work/keeping horses out of the mud (electric fences blowing down for a pastime) so infrequent quiet time has been spent crocheting.
    have a good fair xx

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  4. Those eggs are gorgeous in the hand blown glass vase. Such a fascinating needle holder but I am with you Julie, way too fiddly, I have a lovely needlecase made by Gill and I really don't know what I did without it!

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  5. Love the eggs in the jar. The needle case would drive me mad! - very fiddly. Jo's pincushion is very pretty - I have a blue toile patchwork lavender mini-cushion of hers. Abby x

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  6. Hi Julie I too miss reading Jo's blog I have a lovely cushion of the loveliest quilted fabric ever, that lives on my bed permanently. I search continually for some of the fabric but have not found it yet. Hope Ottie had a good day.

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  7. What a lovely post, I really enjoyed seeing your egg-shaped curios. I love the pottery eggs in the jar and the needle case is so intriguing.
    Thank you!

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  8. I particularly love the treen egg, and the little pottery eggs are perfectly displayed in the jar.

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