Saturday 11 July 2009

Contents of button tins


I've alway been fascinated by buttons and continue to be, these came out of the tins I was given here and I've been meaning to show you them for ages. I've no idea what to use them for as some of them are a quite large and bulky, they are also in many respects unusual. I can't use them for holding earrings as Gina suggests because I don't have pierced ears.
The two large black ones may be useful as a brooches though.

Sadly there hasn't been much time for tatting over the last few days, and spending the evening stuck in the office with a computer, a former Vicar of the Parish, and his Curate trying to sort out computer problems, wasn't fun. No honestly it wasn't! Especially as this morning the new printer decided that it wouldn't print a thing! Most unhelpful when I needed to get a weekly church information news sheet out to the four churches, so it meant going home and starting again on my own PC. The result is far from satisfactory and I've wasted hours of tatting time! Sometimes I hate technology, give me a shuttle any day!!

7 comments:

  1. Those are cool old buttons! I inherited my Mom's old jar of buttons! I love the vintage buttons. They are so interesting in their patterns and shapes. In fact, I think I have one just like that brownish one in the lower right hand corner of that photo of a bunch of bottoms (it's the far right at the bottom...kinda big with the cross shapish thing...looks like strips leather woven on it)

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  2. I grew up with Milly Molly Mandy and Granny's button box - which I still have - so I love them too! Buttons change so much, fashion-wise - from the army buttons, and celluloid (?) of the forties, to the big, flamboyant bright plastics my mother used to have on her dresses in the fifties; my absolute favourites, the jet buttons, and the gorgeous children's buttons my grandmother must have collected since she had her own babies in the first decade of the 20th century. There are even some tiny yellow ducks I remember from the things she knitted for me, in my turn!
    However, I never dared to use those on my own grandchildren's things, I was too afraid they would be pulled ofF and eaten. I am ashamed to say that this concern was more a fear of losing the precious buttons than worry over my grandchildren's wellbeing! - and I also don't think that modern detergents would have been good for the old buttons. My daughter throws everything in the washing machime, as do most young mothers these days.
    I think the oldest buttons in the box are the ones that were cut off from my grandfather's uniforms during the Boer War! - such a wonderful bit of family history to hold in your hand.

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  3. Brooches, dear sis, brooches. Lovely buttons. Shame about the printer.

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  4. Hi Sally, Hope you got the church bulletin sorted out.

    Love all your vintage buttons. I think some would make lovely brooches too!!

    Have a great day!

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  5. Oh, I agree with Jane! Brooches! I love tatting something pretty behind big buttons! You've got a very nice stash there....makes me want to paw through them. hehehehehe

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  6. Great idea - broaches. What about decorative collages set around a little clock - the kind you buy at the dollar store - runs on a little battery. You could make some interesting timepieces and even incorporate some tatting...? If I had the buttons, I would try this as I have seem some very creative (and expensive to buy) work done with timepieces. : ) Fox

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  7. Hi TattingChic so you recognise one of my buttons, they get around don't they?! Your interesting comment Maureen really made me think of history and buttons, if some of them could talk and give their story of the sights and sounds when they were sewn on clothes, fascinating and to have buttons from the Boer War - that is really something.
    Carol thanks I did get the church bulletin out, but the congregations have no idea of the time and effort it took!
    Gina if you were nearer to me you would be very welcome to paw through my buttons!
    Fox the clock idea is unsual, but my husband is clock mad and we already have far too many - groan!!! But your dollar stores sound fun, suppose they are like our pound stores? Thanks for the idea though very imaginative
    Hope you all have a good week - especially you big sis!

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