Button, Button - Who's Got The Button?

[StarWish624]

My Mother taught me that buttons can make/change a garmet. I go to the thrift stores and look at clothing for interesting buttons. (These can be really expensive to buy at the fabric store.) When I find something with nice/interesting buttons, I will buy whatever it is. I then remove the buttons, and replace them with regular buttons (cheaper to buy, or buttons that I removed from something else),
Sometimes I keep the item of clothing, and sometimes I donate it back. Changing the buttons on an old "friend" top/outfit, makes it like new, again. Changing buttons can dress up or dress down clothing. I had a black "dressy" coat with gold-colored buttons. I changed them for buttons with a blend of black/white/grey coloring. Now I can wear the coat for dress, and everyday, too. I just change the scarf. I used the gold-colored buttons on a plain, nice white blouse. It looks dressy enough for evening wear, now.
I also use really interesting buttons to make jewelry.

 

[baymule]

When my kids were small, I sewed all the time. I always had a coffee can full of buttons! Sounds like you have some really good ideas!

 

[ORChick]

I inherited my Grandmother's, and my Mother's, collections of buttons. They both took buttons off of all "done with" clothing (as well as, in my Mother's case, zippers). I have lovely shell buttons from my Grandmother; dozens of tiny buttons that were from her exquisite evening dresses, and lovely larger buttons that make good fasteners for evening bags. I have inherited the bug, and ALL buttons go into a basket in the sewing room. Most buttons these days are plastic, and nothing special, but they get saved too. Looking at the price of buttons in the fabric store is a real shocker.

 

[cheepo]

I have always meant to get around to sewing all my buttons on a purse,
saw someone with one onetime and it was really nice...

 

[StarWish624]

I have found buttons made from shell , and beautiful wooden ones, too. Ones that are different shapes are fun. Just be sure that the buttonhole will work with the new button. This means that you may have to either sew it partially closed, or open it up a bit. Best to give it a test wear after changing buttons. You need to see if the button will stay closed while out and about in real life. Better to find out that it won't stay closed while still at home, than out in public.

 

[~gd]

There used to be a button factory in my town that made 'pearl' buttons from shells [ok they were mother of pearl really]. When we tore it down we recovered bushels of buttons from the size of a quarter to about 3/16 of a inch. Did you know that old buttons were more like miss drilled beads rather than the flat ones common today. did you ever wonder why there were button hooks. Our family supplied lots of 'pearl' handbags and had a waiting list for Wedding gowns that were 'beaded' with pearl buttons. They also used the tiny flat buttons that were the curse of grooms trying to unwrap their brides without damaging the gowns. Anyways as the older generation passed we tried to donate the few gallons of beads left but could find no takers so theywere dumped into the lake.

 

[Cindlady2]

There used to be a button factory in my town that made 'pearl' buttons from shells [ok they were mother of pearl really]. When we tore it down we recovered bushels of buttons from the size of a quarter to about 3/16 of a inch. Did you know that old buttons were more like miss drilled beads rather than the flat ones common today. did you ever wonder why there were button hooks. Our family supplied lots of 'pearl' handbags and had a waiting list for Wedding gowns that were 'beaded' with pearl buttons. They also used the tiny flat buttons that were the curse of grooms trying to unwrap their brides without damaging the gowns. Anyways as the older generation passed we tried to donate the few gallons of beads left but could find no takers so theywere dumped into the lake.

AHHH {shake} AHHH {shake} AHHH! When I was doing allot of bead work and fancy sewing (years ago, maybe 30?) I was HUNTING for old shell buttons and beads!!!

My grand parents used to get shells from the rivers and creeks around here and sold them to a button factory. Yes, I know about button hooks, my family had a couple of dresses and shoes that required one. I also have a few of those "miss drilled" bead type ones too. I have a set of 6 dyed yellow and a set (7?) of dyed blue. I even think I still have 2 red ones.

A tip on keeping sets of old buttons together....string them on a safety pin or plastic coated twisty wire. That way you can "test" a button and put it back if it doesn't work.

 

[ORChick]

I still have Grandmother's button hook. My mother, and then I, kept it on the dressing table, along with G'mother's silver backed brushes just because they were pretty. Now I use the hook with my spinning wheel (but the brushes are still on the dressing table)

 

[Marianne]

Agh, I would have loved those old buttons!

I have my stash that I refuse to part with - old and newer - but how many zillion standard shirt buttons does a person need? LOL I saw a pic of a round table that had a wonderful button mosaic on the top, with maybe a piece of glass over that. It was just gorgeous. One of these days I'm going to make one, too.

 

[~gd]

Agh, I would have loved those old buttons!

I have my stash that I refuse to part with - old and newer - but how many zillion standard shirt buttons does a person need? LOL I saw a pic of a round table that had a wonderful button mosaic on the top, with maybe a piece of glass over that. It was just gorgeous. One of these days I'm going to make one, too.

Yep I thought about one of those tabletops for myself but was realistic and didn't want whoever has to dispose of my things to strach their head and wonder what was the old coot going to do wilh all those buttons? It is ofter hard to find people that will use or care for old things on short notice. I had a hard time trying to give good stuff away. two good modern sewing machines that worked. I forced a quilter's club to take them in order to get a pickup truck load of vintage fabric the old ladies were fighting over that while it was still being unloaded. I won't tell the number of canning jars that were still there when I was forced to leave. I hope they found good homes and didn't end up in the dump. As I said the buttons had special meaning to the family. AShes to ashes. buttons back to the lake where the shells came from. I hope people find them for years and wonder where the heck they came from.
As it was there were some hurt family feelings over some of the stuff espically furnture. When I die stuff is to be auctioned off except for my computer which is to be smashed. ~gd