Button! Button! Quilters Are Using More Buttons

           Quilters and fabric artists find buttons a popular embellishment in their work.  Some may sew on an occasional button.  Others practically cover their piece with these interesting attachments.

I’ve always enjoyed collecting buttons, ever since I explored my grandmother’s and mother’s button jars.  In days ago, ladies didn’t run to the store for buttons.  They saved them from worn clothing relegated to the rag bag.  They cut the buttons off and put them  into a jar or tin.

When my daughter was small and we lived in a distant city while my husband attended airline pilot training school, I made friends with a lady who operated a used clothing store.  Anything that wasn’t salable, or had been in the store too long, was fair game for the button jar.  She cut them off and sold me buttons for a minimal amount.

Buttons are great playthings for youngsters, once they’ve passed the “everything-into-the-mouth” stage.  They sort by color, make designs, and even practice sewing with buttons.

Noreen at Hankering for Yarn tells about using buttons for a crocheted Butterfly Bag.  She also has another post, Button Reveries: Evoking Memories, Inspiring Creativity,  relating the role of buttons in her life and her creations.

My daughter and I collected so many buttons we had to sort some out and sell them at our yard sales.  Now that I’m seeing them used as embelishments more and more, I may have to accumulate some more!