Day 128 : Smock

Day 128 : Smock

Today's button is inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee - last night's episode had machine smocking. Had I been on it, I'm sure I would have had a Dorset wheel in my stash to use! After all, those buttons were commonly used on the farming smocks, along with a stitch known as Dorset feather stitch. I'm never quite sure how I feel about machine stitching over the pleats, I just really like the look of the old hand stitched items.

The fabric for this button is the edge of a piece of cotton I randomly dyed many years ago - putting dyestuffs into a bundle within the fabric. This one was logwood and eucalyptus leaves if I recall correctly (it was a very long time ago). 

I've hand smocked the centre area, and added herringbone stitches on each pleat with two strands of embroidery cotton. The edge is a twist of some of that linen thread from yesterday, couched along the edge. The mould is one that was cut the wrong size!

Size : 35mm /  1 3⁄8" / 54L

Day 127 : Urchin II

Day 127 : Urchin II

Another urchin! I did say that would happen. Today's does start with a Yorkshire button, and I have added French and bullion knots and tiny stitches in the depressions. The main thread is a beautiful linen hand dyed by my friend, The Mulberry Dyer.

No mould - this is stuffed with thread ends. 

Size 15mm / 5⁄8" / 24L

If you'd like to know how to make a Yorkshire button using our kit (which has re-usable templates), here's my YouTube video - 

Day 126 : Song of Sixpence

Day 126 : Song of Sixpence

Today's button was one that I've intended to make (in some shape or another) since my last challenge in 2016. During that challenge, we moved into our current home, And as I was cleaning I found this sixpence. And it happens to be my birth year. I thought I would add it to a button but in the end didn't. Well, I have now!

I've covered a No 4 mould with fabric and padding, and added the coin using the beginning of a shisha stitch, but working a cretan stitch over it with perle cotton No 8. That's how it started, but then I added blanket stitches and wrapping... you can see how I started it over at the Needle 'n thread website.

Size : 30mm / 1 3⁄16" / 46L