What is this - and origin

[mjzae]

I have this "stitching pony" and I am trying to determine the country of origin or patent info, etc....  Is has both a hinge on it, and a tensioner in the middle.  Does that mean it is probably from America vs english or european, etc....   Someone mentioned to me that the english pieces generally did not have a hinge.

Thanks alot in advance.

Mike

[mikesc]

European design, may well be French, but the "tail" is usually longer on the French ones..That looks too short in the tail to be usual as normally the "tail" goes under one of your legs, the jaws are resting across the top of the other leg, or protruding well above..and you stitch with both hands..I'd expect the tail to be at least 50cms longer than on yours, maybe it has been cut ?..Why, no idea, but as it is it would be harder to keep stable.

Search for European stitching clam or European stitching clamp and you'll see what I mean..even the very old ones..are longer in the tail, nowadays some are made with a folding tail, they used to be made with a tail that would could reach the floor , if the user was sat and held the tool upright between their thighs, but most used them "trapped under one thigh" and coming up over the other leg at an angle..means you are stitching upwards at an angle with one hand and downwards at an angle with the other.

[fredk]

Could it be that its a cobbler's stitching clam and the shortened tail, which looks like its been shaped, goes into a hole on the cobbler's pony? Interchangeable with lasts et cetera

[mikesc]

Ah..that is a brilliant very possible idea fred :) ..like the holes in an anvil for the various "tools".

Edited August 3, 2019 by mikesc

[AME]

In Finland we have that kind of stitching clams. You can google words "suutarin puristin", which mean cobblers clam. I have two same kind clams.