Tailor Swift?!?!

Maybe this one really belonged to a seamstress'. I'm not sure. What I do know is that this particular item was another innovation of the Shakers called a table swift. It was used to wind skeins of yarn into balls. It was fastened to a flat surface, extended to the right size for any skein and collapsed like an umbrella when not in use. Swifts were not only used within Shaker Communities. In 1869, Elder Thomas Damon of the Hancock community constructed a machine for cutting out parts for swift production. He did this to help fulfill an order for 20,000 for $0.50 each. Shaker innovation, craftsmanship and business acumen are three things that I admire about the Shakers, and all three come together in this one interesting product. My mom tells me they still use something similar today. Those amazing Shakers!