DIY: give someone you love a thimble

For crafters and DIYers Christmas is fast approaching.   Consider a gift with a message that's a simple (and inexpensive) project from CountryLiving -- a thimble necklace.

An inexpensive score at flea markets and on Etsy—usually less than $5—a vintage thimble can become a playful pendant in no time. Just use a small hammer and a two-penny nail to punch a tiny hole in the center of the thimble's top. Insert a flat head pin through the hole from the inside, so the pin's head remains inside the thimble. Twist the pin's exposed wire into a closed loop with needle-nose pliers, then use the pliers to attach a 6-mm jump ring to the loop.

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Thimble Necklace, CountryLiving

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So, what are you saying when you're giving someone a thimble? It depends on what background story you have in mind (and perhaps you should relay that info to the recipient).  Some of the symbolic references are...

Peter Pan. When Wendy wanted to give Peter Pan a kiss he held out his hand, thinking he would receive a material thing. So she gave him the thimble she was wearing and called it a kiss.

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Universal Studios, Peter Pan, 2003

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Shakespeare.  According to an article by Stephanie Appleton in the Finding Shakespeare series, "Shakespeare’s World in 100 Objects,"

In his 1596 play, The Life and Death of King John, Shakespeare makes reference to the thimble as a symbol of female domesticity...

Colonial America.  In the article, "Engagement Ring Symbolism through the Ages," marc posts:

During the Colonial period in America, all forms of jewelry were prohibited due to Puritanical restrictions and the apparent moral degradation of such jewelry items.  Women were offered a thimble to symbolize the conjugal union, although it wasn’t uncommon for women to remove the top of the thimble to form a type of ring.

Dreams. (These references are a bit far-fetched, but interesting.)  A number of sites that offer dream interpretations show ones for dreaming about a thimble.  Every interpretation is different, so I'll just list the pages on the sites:  Dream Moods, Dream Symbols, experience project.

If you decide you'd rather buy a thimble necklace or charm, there's a fine selection at Etsy.

-- Marge

In his 1596 play, The Life and Death of King John, Shakespeare makes reference to the thimble as a symbol of female domesticity - See more at: http://findingshakespeare.co.uk/shakespeares-world-in-100-objects-number-21-a-thimble#sthash.bYs7o8Y1.dpuf