DESCRIPTION: These are a pair of wooden Shaker hand turned sock darner menders and Shaker hand carved wooden beeswax mold from New England circa 1800s. In addition to their innovative work with fabrics, the Shakers developed a number of handmade sewing accessories, some of which were made for sale and others for their own use. The two sock darner menders required a high degree of lathe skills to produce these wooden sewing items. The added touch of the variegated hardwood on the large wooden egg gives distinction and elegance to an otherwise mundane and utilitarian sewing item. The egg darner is made of maple and walnut woods. The mushroom darner is made of cherry wood. The Shaker Brothers produced and made beautiful sewing box baskets and inside the baskets placed a beeswax small shaped cake. Beeswax was used to coat thread for sewing. The wax allowed for smoothness when pulling the thread while hand sewing. Wooden molds were used for making the beeswax Cakes that were sold commercially in the Shakers Fancy Goods Store. This wooden beeswax mold holds three small decorated beeswax cakes. A similar wooden beeswax mold can be seen at the Historic Old Chatham Museum in New York on page 160 of the informative book "Shaker Folk Art & Industries" by Marian Klamkin. The wooden beeswax mold has hand carved and shaped fluted designs, two being of circular shape and the center with a square fluted shape.MEASUREMENTS: Egg darner is 4 inches high and 4 inches round in circumference. Mushroom darner is 3 ½ inches wide and 2 ½ inches long. Wooden beeswax thread mold is 8 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 2 inches high.SHIPPING: Packaging, handling, and shipping for all locations in the 48 Continental United States is $25. For Alaska, Hawaii, International, and all other locations outside the 48 Continental United States packaging and handling is $10 plus shipping which can be determined by using USPS.com with origin of 19968, package dimensions of XXXXXXXX and X pounds and your destination location.

The shaker beeswax thread mold and sock darners are in excellent condition except for a minor drying age crack on the mushroom darner (see photos) and age appropriate patina.