Turn of the Century

Suppliers of wooden crochet hooks, knitting needles, embroidery tools, writing instruments and items of personal adornment: All items are high quality, handmade, and affordably priced.

Turn of the Century, established in 1971, consists of two woodworkers, William Schmidt and Diana Andra, engaged in the craft of fine woodturning. Diana also has a business selling Floaty Pens. Most of our creations are functional, designed for the everyday person with the everyday pocketbook. It is our goal to produce items of quality at affordable prices.

Woodturning is a process wherein a machine rapidly spins a horizontal piece of wood. As the piece rotates, the woodturner applies a chisel to the wood to shape it. Whether a chair spindle or bowl, every piece is round.

At Turn of the Century, we are very adamant about two things: We personally produce every wood item we sell; and we freehand turn all our lathe produced items. Freehand turning means that we do not use any tools specifically shaped to make a particular design. Over the years, we each have developed a unique "signature" style, much as each person's handwriting is unique to himself. We trust that other woodworkers will respect this. Don't do what we do. Do what feels good to you!

We do not consciously try to repeat designs, unless making items in pairs. As a result, any item pictured is representative of our design style. Items vary in design from one piece to the next. Together we make about thirty items, which we market through art/craft shows, about fifteen select craft shops and galleries nationwide, and mail order.

We make a variety of tools for textile workers. We also produce some items for personal adornment, for the executive, and quality home accessories. Due to our natural limits on production, we must resist the impulse to offer all we make on the web. If you should order from us, please realize that we sometimes run out of things. We will adhere to your specifications as much as possible, but if we can't, we may need to contact you concerning any substitutions or changes.

For our 2008 web offering we would like to introduce you to some of our more popular items.
Crochet Hooks , Knitting Needles, Rug Hooks, Embroidery Tools , Hairpins and Earrings, and Pens and Pencils Odds 'n' Ends. Bill has made literally tens of thousands of these items over the last thirty years. They have served many good people well!

To e-mail us :Bill@Turn-of-the-Century.com

Paypal users, compute the total item cost PLUS the $6 shipping as a single item (do not separate the $6 shipping), then click this Paypal box and enter the grand total as a single "item".
The form automatically fills in Turn of the Century's Paypal ID.

NOTICE: Using a direct withdrawal check card will result in a Paypal delay of 3-5 days while the transaction clears your bank.

Just for fun, visit Diana's Float Pen web site FloatAbout.com