Hi, I’m Sylvie, french and living in France. Totally addicted to collecting antique french spindles to gather as much information about this lost part of my french history & culture.
Several years ago, an american friend asked for my help ordering an antique spinning wheel here in France. That’s when I spotted those cute antique spindles which came along her wheel. From then on, I started searching everywhere for more information on those french antique/vintage spindles.
Fast forward to 2022: My collection now features dozens spindles from all areas of France, many books and treasured ancient leaflets, and a huuuuuge collection of old postcards showing spindle spinners from France.
It’s really hard to find precise information about spindle spinning in the 19th and early 20th century in France. But after so many years of research I now have a much better understanding of
- who spun with spindles and why
- which fibers were spun with spindles
- an answer to the enigma of the “dispparead whorls” on 99% of the old postcards showing spindle spinners
- how the metal top parts were used on some of the spindles
And so much more ! My personal goal/hope is to eventually write an ebook about the history of spindle spinning in France in the 19th and early 20th century.
I also sometimes sell a few vintage / antique french spindles to help fund my collection.
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Hi Sylvie
I was wondering if you could help me identify some spindles bought in Cahors. There was some suggestion that they were for bobbin lace as they came as a lot of 6, but as they weigh between 20-35g I thought this might be too heavy. They’re also about 29cms. They’re not like any French spindles I’ve seen before. Very rustic looking with a bulge in the middle and the spiral slot at the top. No embellishments.
Hi, oops sorry for the delay of my reply. You can send me a photo by email and I’ll see what I think… There are tons of different shapes of spindles depending on areas of France, and if there’s a spiral at the top chances are it’s actually a spindle 🙂