An Ongoing Series on Embellishments
Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?
Cathy Koos
Sifting through Grandma’s button tin evokes strong memories of my past. Many an hour was spent by me, my sisters, and our kids sorting and mixing. Five simple white buttons pinned together with tiny scraps of blue fabric bring Grandma’s blue Easter dress immediately to mind. Always fun was the search for bone “wooly pully” buttons my dad said were used to fasten his underwear to his undershirt, with two unmistakable overly large holes.
Figure 2 Pinterest
Long before buttons were mass produced, tailors and sewists resorted to making their own button closures. While sometimes made of bone or horn, Dorset buttons were a fancy alternative.
Figure 3 Andy Dingley, Wikipedia
The original Dorset button was made in Dorset County, England from the early 1600s to the mid-1850s when industrialization made handmade buttons obsolete.
Here is how to make your own:
While the base for a Dorset button was usually a metal or bone circle, the Yorkshire button was made on a tiny, notched loom and could be made flat or round and stuffed.
Figure 4 Somerset Stitch
And here is a delightful, shared tutorial on Yorkshire buttons from Pam Martin, of Somerset, UK. http://somersetstitch.blogspot.com/2021/07/quick-stitch-yorkshire-buttons.html for some future inspiration.
Stay tuned to this column for future embellishments. Please share your favorites such as ornamental fabric frog closures. Send your ideas to me at editor@cnch.org