Speaking Volumes

   Recently when I went to wear a new shirt, I had to cut the tags off. I never cut tags until I know I'm actually going to keep my purchase. I also cut off the extra button provided, you know that little plastic package with a snippet of thread and one extra button just in case you lose one somewhere down the road. If you're like me you have a bunch of these "extras" hidden away somewhere. Just look at the picture to see a sampling of mine. Now IF I lose the button before the shirt wears out, the question becomes will I actually sew a new one on the shirt. If the button is on the top or the bottom, I'll probably just forget it, who'll ever know. It's not like you're going to see it. If I like the shirt and the missing button is in a conspicuous place, I might decide to sew a new one on. IF I can find the button I so nicely put away for this occasion. How often does this happen? Maybe once in a lifetime! And even IF I do find the little plastic bag with just the right button, will I really use the snippet of thread? Wouldn't it make more sense to just throw the whole thing away as soon as I release it from the shirt? 

Look at the can of buttons I've accumulated over the years. If you've got a similar collection hanging around do I have a couple of books for you.


 

Button it up : 80 amazing vintage button projects for necklaces, bracelets,
embellishments, housewares, & more / Susan Beal


 

Bead and button, ribbon and felt jewelry : 35 sewing-box treasures to make and give / Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell



And what would a conversation about buttons be without mentioning my all time favorite button story:

Corduroy by Don Freeman which tells the story of a cuddly bear who sits on a shelf in a department store. One night he climbs down from the shelf to find his missing button and well, you read the rest of the story (ours seems to be missing at the moment, but I know we'll remedy that soon). Oops, found it again. Knew we had to have this classic in our collection.