Images(2)

Pin Ball

Periodca. 1780 - 1810

MediumPlied silk thread, linen, wool, and silk ribbon

DimensionsDiameter: 2 in. (5.1 cm)

ClassificationsNeedlework

Credit LineMuseum Collection

Object number1998.561

DescriptionA small spherical pin ball, comprised of plied silk threads in dark forest green, dark grass green, sage green, dark brown, medium brown, tan, and oyster white. The entire pin ball is worked in Irish stitch on a linen ground over a layer of tightly woven linen, stuffed with wool. In construction, two circular linen panels were partially drawn in with running stitches, stuffed with wool and sewn together. Two embroidered circular panels were then mounted atop the linen sphere and sewn together to created the covered pin ball. The addition of a 3/8 inch wide woven brown silk ribbon around the center of the pin ball, held in place by decorative herringbone stitches, hides the join seam.
Curatorial RemarksPin balls were one of the many ways in which older girls and women could exhibit their needlework skills. Pin balls were usually small - many no larger than two inches in diameter - and were worn at a woman's waist from a decorative ribbon. Those women who could afford to added a silver midband, often engraved with the owner's name and date, and a silver chain. As many eighteenth century garments needed straight pins for closure, immediate access them made pin balls both a practical tool as well as a fashion accessory. Simple pin balls were made from scraps of dress silks, or, as in this example, embroidered with silk threads and bold stitches. The still-vivid colors of the silk threads in this pin ball, coupled with the lack of wear and tear on the stitching, seems to indicate that it may never have been used. The side view image shows how carefully the design was matched on the two pieces comprising the embroidered cover.

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