FEATURE
Boost your crafty bling
with knowledge of buttons.
Buttons have an appeal that is everlasting. The modest fastener is a testament to function and aesthetics combined. A button’s appearance makes us want it. A button’s function makes us need it. Still, it takes more than that for an object to be collectible.
The button is just the right size to be kept in a baby food jar, buried in the junk drawer, or compartmentalized into a tackle box. In their infinite variety, buttons lend themselves to be sorted by age, material, shape, or size. A well-kept collection creates peace of mind in knowing that any project can be perfectly finished with a useful embellishment.
Rewinding in time, before Velcro, snaps, or plastic zippers, before even the buttonhole, there was the button. Used as a decoration early in the evolution of attire, the first examples were made with natural materials. They were purely for adornment.
In Europe as the crusades ended, the button was united with the Eastern concept of the buttonhole, beginning its widespread use. While women were still being tied into their clothing, men popularized the object on their coats and cuffs. The button became a way to further display one’s Renaissance-era “bling.”
Design is an innovator, and buttons came to be made from almost every material and in every style imaginable. Some buttons are flat with two or four holes. Others have shanks that can be self shanks (all one piece), set shanks (like an eyehook), or whistle shanks, which have two holes drilled in the back and one in the front.
Modern times offer infinite choice, and currently, oversized buttons are seen on knitted hats. Pushpins and refrigerator magnets are decorated with buttons. Bracelets and necklaces are made using vintage buttons instead of beads. There is a button for every aesthetic and for every crafter.
Here are some simple observations and simple science you can use to discover more about buttons. Enjoy! ×
Brookelynn Morris is just like you — she loves to hula-hoop, longboard, and make flower arrangements. Her very fine husband, Nat Wilson-Heckathorn, uses his photography skills to make all of her projects look very, very good.
Photography by Nat Wilson-Heckathorn
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