Antique Amish Sewing Ball in Indigo Calicos white vase with gray flowers The form of the leg

The form of the leg makes me believe it dates to the 2nd half of the 19th century

a very very finely crafted whimsy

and  in their original box with wood framed bottom

which looks rather like a white cake with colorful frosting all over it

who I think had a very good eye for color and pattern

Antique Amish Sewing Ball in Indigo Calicos white vase with gray flowers The form of the legSo lovely. I come across a sewing ball of this form now and again, usually in two or three shades of velvet, which don't hugely excite me, but I've never seen one in indigo calicos, which is what made me jump on this one when I spotted it last week at an antique show in New Hampshire. Absolutely the most beautiful example of one of these typically referred to as Amish puzzle balls or Amish sewing balls I've ever seen, and like a book of indigo calico