Dorset Buttons

Dorset buttons are thread buttons made from the middle of the 1700's (some sources say earlier) to the middle of the 1800's.  It is believed that Abraham Case of Dorsetshire, England, with his family, made the first thread buttons, and so the buttons got their name from the region where they were made.  The making of Dorset buttons became a thriving cottage industry, since both men and women made them at home, and even the children twisted the wires and wound the thread to help.  Women could earn more making buttons, than working as agricultural labourers.

 Two frames were used, the earliest with discs of sheep horn, and later with wire rings.  

The horn variety, called high tops was made by putting a fragment of cloth through the hole in the centre of the disc, then building the fabric up into a conical shape, which was held by hand stitches, like a spider web.  

The wire-ring type, which were flat, were done by lacemakers; the chief pattern of these was the Blandford "cartwheel."  A variety of patterns were made, with names such as: Honeycomb, basket and cross wheel.

                   

In 1841 John Ashton introduced linen buttons and these soon took over, as they were more durable and did not come off when clothing was laundered.  This had devastating effects on the Dorset button cottage industry, with many families losing their source of income.

Site where you can purchase recreations of Dorset buttons.  Cheryl Childress is keeping this craft alive.
http://tavernhorn.com/issue/december-2010/article/death-head-buttons


Blog with instructions on how to make Dorset Buttons
http://boutonnerie.blogspot.com/2009/11/dorset-buttons.html

Its All About the Detail

ITS ALL ABOUT THE DETAIL

Hallo friends and fellow fashion and costume lovers. There is something about costume that really intrigues, it is the attention to detail that some people take, and this I find sublime, because really darling it is all in the detail for me. Those little details that are sometimes so fine, so small or so subtle, like white embroidery on white lawn, that only when you are close to the wearer, can the detail be seen. It is seen with the brush of a cheek, and a waft of perfume as intimate moments are shared, as souls touch. Oh yes my sensitive darlings, it is something to be sought after, something to crave, and hope that you find.

Well you might be starting to feel from the images in this blog, that I have a certain attraction to buttons. It started when I was young, and I saw my Nana's jars of buttons. She had sorted them into colours, bright reds and greens, and I loved them. When I grew older and my Nana was gone, I remembered the buttons and wondered what had happened to them. I asked but no-one knew, they were lost. I started collecting buttons to replace my Nana's lost collection, and in doing so discovered how wonderful buttons are.

So now I have these, jars of coloured buttons, just like Nana's. Oh but that's not all, I also have these cool leather buttons with leather shanks.

Oh and these.


A whole wall full really.


I have found a few special ones, like these metal buttons with a matching buckle. I am still playing with ideas that this little set inspires.

These glass buttons with gilt decoration, and a diamonte centre are so feminine,I imagine them on the palest of baby blue satins, perhaps with a delicate gold stripe woven into the fabric.

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I love this little metal button it is so beautifully crafted, it must be from the Victorian era. The Scotch thistle is such a Scottish symbol I expected the button to have been made in Scotland, but on the underside of the button are the maker's mark and Made in England as you can see below.








































These are shank buttons, one with a moonstone centre, the blue one in the middle is glass, and the lower is imitation pearl with a gold filagree pattern around the outer edge.

These buttons were bought by a friend from India, they are an old craft that has been revived by selling these beautifully packaged buttons to tourists. See below:

And now for those patient faithful ones I have saved the tiniest most delicate buttons for you, these are so small I wonder how any but the smallest of hands could use them.

And yet even thought they are so small, some are ornately decorated with pattern and paint, it is like a world on a pin head. Don't you love it, so wonderful. Well my dears now I really must go, there is so much to do and so little time.

Tee Hee and Away.