Education

We are very fortunate to be able to enjoy the wonderful programs, photos, and research from the past. Many of these collections are no longer intact and some have been sold at auction. The TCI EDUCATIONAL ARCHIVE is honored to be the repository for these gems of thimble and needlework tool collection history and to be able to share them with you.

Whenever you download a program, please think of the amount of work that went into creating it. The majority of the work in preparing these programs was done by the late Mary Craft, Education Chair. Mary passed away on August 21, 2019.

Sandra Woodyard is now the Education Chair. Please welcome Sandy and direct your questions to her with regard to the CONVENTION PROGRAM ARCHIVES. Sandy is very involved and continues to produce many new Series Documentation programs.

Irene Schwall is currently working on preparing all of the past TCI Convention programs so that they will be available to view sometime in 2023.  This is an enormous job so be patient. Members will receive an e-blast when this is available.

With the coming of the digital age, slides have been converted to digital format, preventing further deterioration and making it easier for most members to view them. If you have already seen some of these programs in the past, don’t hesitate to check them out again now that they have been digitized and enhanced. You will be pleasantly surprised.

New programs are being added as they are donated. The TCI Digital Program list is being updated at this time.  When available, members will be able to request a program from Sandy Woodyard.  You will be provided with a link to the program.  You may download it to your computer to view it at your convenience or share it with your collector group.  IMPORTANT: PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ALL TCI PROGRAMS ARE COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED AND WE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.  YOU MAY NOT ALTER A PROGRAM IN ANY WAY OR SHARE OR SELL IT FOR PROFIT.

SERIES DOCUMENTATION is another educational project. This involves collecting and documenting information about thimble and needlework tool series/sets from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, while it is still available, for the use of future collectors.

It is an ambitious and ongoing project and at present, the number of programs available for viewing is over 100, with many more in progress which will be added as they are completed.

As time marches on, members stop collecting or sadly, pass away. When this happens, collections are dispersed and valuable documentation is often discarded or lost. It becomes harder and harder to fully document series/sets of thimbles and needlework tools sold through magazines, catalogs, museums, or other entities. Along with a complete set of photos for each series, the Series Documentation project gathers advertisements, brochures, leaflets, and other ephemera, into individual PDF programs for the research and enjoyment of collectors. * If you can assist with documentation, original prices, and so on, please get in touch with Sandy Woodyard.

Click here for a list of Series Documentation programs available free to members.  PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THESE TOO ARE COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED.

Membership in TCI offers so much more — click on the Membership tab to view some of the many benefits.