365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Dorset Buttons
Day 293: Some years ago when my sister-of-the-heart Patty was here for a visit, I was dragging out various and sundry craft items to show her, one of which was hand-made greeting cards. I think I'd kinda overwhelmed her by then because she said laughingly, "Oh, and I suppose you made the paper, too!" I was reminded of a similar incident twenty years earlier, but I was compelled to answer honestly and somewhat sheepishly, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."
Yesterday, I got a note from Patty asking if I'd ever heard of "Dorset buttons." After all, I am a fiberartist, and while I haven't dabbled in every single type of thread-craft, I've certainly hit quite a few of the less commonly seen ones. "Yep," I said. "Lemme see if I can find mine." It took less time than expected, and although Dorset buttons are usually (but not always) made over a ring instead of a button form, these fall within the broader definition. Technically, they would be further distinguished with the term "needle-lace buttons," and the method of working is similar to that used in hardanger to fill open areas, or on a larger scale, in making traditional "god's-eye" decorations. A framework of threads is laid down, and then a pattern is created on the web by wrapping it in a specified order. The designs shown here are "checkerboard leek" (blue, top left), "star leek" (blue, bottom) and "Victorian star" (lavender-grey, top right). All were made with #8 perle cotton on a 3/4" shankless form. Almost any stiff material can be used as a base: cardboard, plastic discs, even commercially made buttons. As a general rule, they were meant to be removed before laundering, and often had a second button sewn to the back side to fit into a matched pair of buttonholes in the garment in the same manner cufflinks are used. After sending Patty the photo, I started to wonder where my instructions were. It took longer to find the directions than it did to find the buttons!
Labels:
Dorset buttons,
fiberarts,
needle-lace buttons
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