QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
  More quilters are discovering the fascination of art quilts, those you hang on the wall and use for decorative effect.  You might place them on a bed but generally use only for adornment.  Perhaps you’ll use fabric art pieces in clothing, too.
To embellish their art quilts, quilters and fabric artists often choose beads and buttons, some of which they may make themselves.  I ran a poll to determine whether my readers are into this type of embellishment.
Question – Do You Use Beads and Buttons to Embellish Your Quilts?
10%  – Yes, frequently
70% – Yes, occasionally
20% – No, never
It would seem …read more

   I’ve had many quilters/fabric artists and simply button collectors respond to my previous post, What Do Quilters Use for Storing Buttons?, sparked by Josh Johnson’s post, Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button? at Junk Creation.
They have shared how they store buttons, how they collect buttons, who started them collecting, and nostalgic memories of buttons and button collecting.  The topic of buttons has evoked such a great response, that I’ll periodically post about buttons…something I enjoy collecting and researching.
I used to think of buttons as simply a utilitarian object to hold clothing together.  Eventually I realized they could have a …read more

                          Josh Johnson’s post, Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?, at Junk Creation, got me thinking about button storage over the years.  Josh shows a picture of the jar his wife uses for her buttons. Quilters have long been collectors of buttons, left over from times ago when every button was precious and useful for replacing lost ones on clothing.  However, in more recent years, decorating quilts and fabric art with buttons has reached new heights.
So….where do you store your buttons?
My mom used a jar, as Josh’s wife does.  I have my button jar (formerly a peanut buttr jar) as well as …read more

Responses I’ve received to my post, Beading Retreats – Do Quilters Attend These? inspired me to set up a poll at Quilting & Patchwork.
Check it out and let me know your thoughts.  Also, share in the comments, your experiences with using beads and/or buttons in your quilting and quilting art.
I’ve asked:  Do you use beads and buttons to embellish your quilts? 
You can choose the following answers:
Yes, frequently
Yes, occasionally
No, never

           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 …read more

                    Buttons add color and interest as embellishments to your quilts.  They’re also interesting to collect and research.  I’ve seen quilt hangings almost completely covered with buttons and others with buttons as occasional accents.  Then there are others in all stages between.
I discovered some interesting quilts with buttons  at Button Mad.com (called to my attention by Chloe at Tangled Thread)  They make delightful ceramic buttons at Button Mad which coordinate well with quilt, collage and other fabric art projects.
Do you use buttons in your quilting art?  If so, I’d enjoy hearing about it.