I Just LOVE Buttons !!

You see them every day. They fasten your clothing , hold your pants up, and maybe make a fashion statement on your new sweater. Buttons! Almost everyone has some buttons stashed away in a box or jar. They can be plain and simple, or truly elegant works of art. Due to our natural hoarding instincts, buttons find their way into nooks and crannies in our homes.

I myself , have been collecting them for just over a year now . To use in projects , and simply just have to buy any that i come across that catch my eye . Just pieces of plastic , glass , fabric or other medium in which they are made , give me pleasure , and wonder what garment they adorned , along with the history of them .

Buttons have been in use for hundreds of years. In very early times, clothing was fastened with ties or pins, but gradually toggles and buttons as we know them came to be in use. Many ancient burials have included buttons or button-like objects. In the Early and Middle Bronze Age, large buttons were primarily used to fasten cloaks. By the 13th century, buttons were widely in use, mainly as decoration. As most clothing of that time period was closed with lacing or hooks, garments didn’t use buttons as methods of closing on a regular basis until the last half of the 16th century. Most of the buttons from this time period were small, but over the next century or so they became larger and very ornate, often using precious metals and jewels. During the 17th and18th Century, most buttons were worn by men.
By the 18th century, buttons were becoming larger, and had even more elaborate designs. Buttons continued to make a fashion statement and the button-making industry hit such a high standard that the period from 1830-1850 has become known as the Golden Age. As mass production techniques progressed, and new synthetic materials were developed, the general standard declined. From 1860 on, women have been the main consumers of “novelty” buttons.

So , you can imagine my utter delight , when i came across this large sweetie jar full to the brim of old , along with the odd new buttons ! There it was , sitting on a bottom shelf , in my local charity shop , waiting for me to give them a new home !! The jar alone was worth the small price tag i paid !

All on show

Just a small selection of my favourite ones ......

Others i have acquired .... On cards ......









Mother of Pearl ......





Glass ....






And another peak at my jar find .... The orange flower is actually

a bucklefrom a belt of some sort . This was one of the unexpected finds inside !

I do collect many things amoungst buttons .

Part of their charm also is , that they are small and

do not take up too much room to store .

Something that is dwindling away in my craft room !