Buttonsplus

Here are some tweed and houndstooth fabric covered buttons which were a common sight say back in the 1950s and 60s or even earlier. A lot of coats and jackets had buttons of the same material as the coat itself. The coats of today I think more often have other types like plastic. I don’t feel the cold so much so don’t wear coats but wish I did as there are some lovely ones in the shops.

Here are two black velvet buttons which have been stitched and beaded in bright colours. I believe they were made in India. They are modern and were in the haberdashery shops quite a few years ago and I have a few of them. It is a lot of work to go into a button but the Indians are good at decorating things. I have a few boxes made in India and they are painted beautifully with the same detail. I love the bright colours they use.

Here are three different plastic children’s buttons maybe from the early 1940s. They have different images painted on them and are in not too bad order. I think the old children’s buttons are hard to find and guess some were washed so many times they really deteriorated and got thrown out. Back then mothers knitted jumpers and cardigans for their young ones and these buttons really made the garment zing.

This is an imitation fabric black glass button with a pink daisy on the left side. Just visible is a tinge of yellow in the background. It measures a little over 2 1/2cm in diameter. I wonder what type of garment it would have been worn on as glass buttons are a bit weighty.

This enamel button is just a bit different both in colour and design. It is purple and teal with a touch of pink and gold lines in a modern design. It is also pierced. It measures 3 1/2cm so is quite a nice size. I rather like these enamel buttons with the sort of geometric patterns and have a few different ones.

I have not bought new buttons for quite some time but did so a couple of days ago at Lincraft. These two look great when held up to the light. They are some type of plastic, synthetic or something and are probably mass produced but they still have a certain charm. Buttons are not cheap these days and I often wonder what price buttons were new in the late 1890s or early 1900s. It would be interesting to know.

I rather like this modern bone button with it’s embossed brass ornamentation. It is modern and I believe that it was probably made in Nepal. It is oval shaped and measures 4 cm x 2 1/2 cm. It has a brass loop shank.

Here is a Czechoslovakian Glass button in a lovely yellowish green depending on which way you turn it. It features a tulip and looks much nicer in reality. It has a silvered back and measures a little over 3 cm. I think it is a reproduction button and could have used a mould from years gone by.

Here is a button made of metal and a mother of pearl inner disc. It is topped off with a realistic metal Pharoah’s head. There was a certain period when the Egyptian influence was very popular and this is one such button. It has a brass back and loop shank and measures a little over 2 1/2 cm.

I think I have shown these buttons before but they were my best Opp Shop finds just a few years ago. They were very black and tied together in a small bottle of buttons. Until I got them out of the bottle I was not even sure they were buttons. Imagine my delight; buttons 20 cents each therefore one dollar for the lot. I quickly bought them and walked out of the shop I’m sure with a smile on my face. They look like silver but are not stamped and have some gold trim in areas then have the enamel panel depicting a bird. I think they must be fairly old and maybe Oriental. They sure were a great find. I have just got them out while I do this post and they have tarnished again but not too badly.