Buttonsplus

Here is a group of white moulded plastic buttons coming from the 1940’s – 50’s period. The patterns on them are many and varied and I think quite fascinating. They are all sew through buttons.

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Tailor’s buttons were made in various materials including metal, plastic and vegetable ivory. They mainly have the tailor’s name and town which was a good advertising tool of the time. The three shown above are as follows : OUR OWN MAKE, A. CALDER, MELBOURNE AND MORCAN & WHITE, GEELONG. They are all brass.

This button has been covered with black braid and has a gold metal centrepiece with seven “diamonds” inserted. It is very showy and would certainly grace a garment. It has a metal plate and loop shank on the back.

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These are actually half buckles. It is not always easy to find the full buckle. Two I have had for fifty years. The one with the cobalt blue border is reasonably new to my collection. I love the delicate paintwork in the Satsuma porcelain from Japan.

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These four groups of Celluloid buttons belong to my friend Marg. She has them mounted on hessian which is a good natural background for their earthy colours of the time. They include bubbletops and sew through types and show off nicely in the black mounts and frames.

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Here is a modern Ceramic button which belongs to my friend Joyce. It is striped in various colours and is bright and cheery. It has a self shank and measures approx. 2 1/2 cm.

Here is a braid covered button in a very intricate flower like design. It is a quite deep concave shape and is very effective. It measures 3 cm and has a plastic shank glued to the back.

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I have two friends who do lace making and these are the types of bobbins that they use. These are actually mine; I love the turned wood and the glass beads and they are very tactile. The two light coloured ones are a gift from my friend Jackie. The bone one is another gift from my friend Di and it comes from Ireland. It was made in the 18th century.

Mother of Pearl buttons have been made for many years. They have been dyed and carved in many and varied intricate designs. This lot are utility buttons and would have been suitable for a plain as well as a patterned fabric.

Here are some Pressed Plastic buttons from the 1930’s. I have them in their original tube and they were made by Astor Buttons. I love the simple designs that are pressed into them and they are a pretty green colour.