All things buttons & more …
At the moment I am drawing in a nice journal given to me by Julie. It has handmade paper pages and I thought it would be great to draw all things of nature in it.
I visit my friend Di most Wednesday afternoons and we both draw. It is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. We have music in the background so sing and talk as well, not forgetting a cup of tea.
I love nature and this is a nice way of recording it.
What a lovely bird design the large button is. It has velvet in the background which would be used to put on perfume.
The two smaller buttons are a similar design. The large one is just under 4 cm. and the smaller ones just over 1 1/2 cm.
These buttons are probably from the Victorian period.
Being just under 3 cm this button has a lovely etched brass border.
A small white glass plaque featuring a flower has been inset in the centre. It has a tin back and brass loop shank.
These two wooden buttons are really chunky and were probably used on an overcoat. They have been carved.
Being of a natural material they would suit a thick tweed or houndstooth fabric I think. Who knows what garment they were on.
Delicate is how I would describe these glass buttons.
They have a kind of stripey look in the glass but otherwise are quite plain.. They are in the shape of a shell.
This realistic glass flowers button has been painted in mauves and purples.
It would be really nice if the paintwork was in better condition but I got it in an opp shop so didn’t pay much for it.
While on the subject, here are a few more “new”buttons from my collection. They are so different from the buttons made a Century ago.
The buttons at No. 3 appear to have bits of grass or seeds embedded in them which is very interesting. In the 19th Century they made “Habitat”buttons with bits of grass, feathers or insects etc. mounted under glass or clear Celluloid. I do not have one but when I saw these new buttons it made me think of those I had seen in books.
The orange and cream buttons seem to be pressed or moulded with a floral design. The other three buttons I think may have been done with a laser, once more in a floral design.
Many Collectors do not buy new buttons but I have bought quite a few in the shops if they take my fancy. I figure they will be antiques of the future and that they take their place in Fashion History anyway.
A lot of them are made of Synthetics or plastic of some kind. These days a great effect can be achieved to replicate many materials used in button making in years gone by. Many are made in China and Thailand as well as other countries.
All of these “new”buttons have been bought by me between 2002 and 2017.
I love these three buttons with different colours on a cream background.
They have been coated with paint then rubbed back to leave colour remaining only in the incised design. They all have a cream Celluloid back and shank and are all a little under 3 cm.
One of these head buttons is metalized plastic ( No 3 ) and the other two are actually metal.
I do not know exactly who they represent although one is from Roman or Greek Mythology. They are interesting anyway.