Item #69587 : Original period manufacture. A wonderful mid-19th century roll-up Housewife, as carried perhaps by a soldier during the Civil War era, or, by anyone of that time needing a traveling sewing kit. The leather covered cylinder measures 4.5 inches in length, with a diameter of about 1.5 inches. On each end are a thick pad bristling with an assortment of straight pins. When unrolled, the sewing kit measures 7 inches in length, with a faded red silk compartment which once held sections of patching cloth, above is a folding leather tab which reveals a plethora of sewing needles. The cylinder itself is leather covered with a storage well for an alloy thimble. Overall the sewing kit is in very sound condition and usable if needs be.