Tudor style embellished bodkin in solid silver or brass for lacing and finishing knitted garments for reenactment

• 100% silver or 100% brass
• 3in (8cm) long
• Made exclusively for The Tudor Tailor

These beautiful bodkins (or blunt, large-eyed needles) have been made exclusively for The Tudor Tailor and are cast in your choice of solid silver or solid brass. Bodkins are ideal for threading ribbons or tapes through eyelet holes, for hair lacing and for sewing in yarn ends when finishing knitted garments.

These bodkins are based on a selection of 16th century originals featured in the online Portable Antiquities Scheme database. A silver example, found in Dorset, has a zigzag pattern with a chevron and engraved letters which were probably the initials of the owner. Another bodkin, excavated in Norfolk in 2015, is decorated with cross-hatched engraving between two pairs of parallel lines - and features an ear scoop!

Our bodkins were designed by Peter Crossman, who was archaeological illustrator at The Mary Rose Trust Museum for 26 years. They come boxed and pinned to a swatch of Tudor Tailor twill, making them perfect as gifts for any special occasion.

Bodkins also make attractive jewellery. Wear one pinned at your shoulder or tucked into your hair for an eye-catching Tudor-style accessory.

Please note that due to the fact that the silver is cast rather than being hard wired, the silver bodkins are relatively soft and will bend under heavy pressure.