Antique Leather Sewing Kit

Hello

When clearing out our late Aunt's flat, my sister found this handy sewing kit and thought I would like it.

The zip had started to come away, the leather strip its attached to is very brittle and had torn away.

My Aunt used to do a lot of cutwork embroidery and she has obviously used these curved scissors as the fabric behind the keeper is very worn with lots of use.   I've never really thought of using curved scissors when sewing so had a go with these, they cut the thread very close to the fabric which is useful.  I don't think the other pair of narrow curved scissors are original as they don't seem to fit the slot in the case very well and they are of a different design.  The ribbon/elastic pullers are a useful thing to have, they beat a nappy pin!

A matching needle case.

I reattached the zip using the Singer 201K, then gave the case a good polish with navy shoe polish, added a bit of ribbon on the zip pull.

Couldn't do much with the inside, the watermarked moire silk is a bit grubby.   If anyone has any suggestions on how to clean this, I am all ears.

There is a makers marker J.C. Vickery, Regent Street.  W1.  Which made me wonder.   So I Googled, don't you just love being able to do that?

Came up with this info.

JC Vickery took over the shop in 1854 and expanded the stock to include jewellery, dressing cases, gold and silver.  The height of the business was before WW1 obtaining Royal Warrants. They were known for their high class leather goods so that's why this has survived for so long.  The business was taken over by James Walker Ltd in the 1930 when JC Vickery went into administration.

There is even a Facebook page dedicated to the company  https://www.facebook.com/jcvickery/

So I am guessing this was made in the 1920s, I couldn't work out how my Aunt had ended up with a posh sewing kit from Regent Street.  My sister came up with the possible answer.  My Aunt was sent into service as soon as she became old enough.  Her father had come back from WW1, he stayed at home for a while before being admitted into a Sanatorium in York, I expect it was shell shock.  He never returned home and they split up for good.  So money was tight for my Grandmother with 5 children.  Aunty Mary ended up at Middleham in a big house as some sort of domestic servant so this is probably where this came from.  The dates work as she will have been there in the late 20s early 30s.  My Aunt was 99 when she died a few years ago.  I can't remember seeing her sew but she was a great sock knitter when I was a little girl.

Cheers

Sharon