Day 140 : May

Day 140 : May

(as in May blossom!) 

Today's button started as an attempt for another from that suit that I mentioned on Day 138, but half-way through I realised I had missed something, so this doesn't look enough like the button at all. I do know where I went wrong, and I like this anyway, so decided to keep this one, not cut it up.

This is worked over a No 13 mould, which has been covered with fabric. The thread is No 12 perle. 

Size: 15mm / 5⁄8" / 26L

Day 139 : Metta

Day 139 : Metta

Today's button is another from an extant item of clothing - apparently from the 1640s, in the MET. Those who study garments are unsure of it. The buttons and buttonholes aren't particularly suspicious, if a little unusual. The five divisions isn't very common anyway, and nothing screams at me as being wrong with them generally, from the images I've seen. And sometimes a replacement button really does scream out to me! There is a lot wrong with the garment on the whole for others, and so this may be a little addition in the new book, not a main :)

I have used a gold thread that I bought many years ago as vintage. As there is no tarnish at all, I reckon I got a good bargain on this, there must be some real gold in the metal. The green is Au Ver a Soie Soie Ovale, and the mould is a No 1. 

And the name? It started out as me being silly - MET Museum = Metta - then I did a quick search and Metta means all sorts of lovely things and is a form of meditation for directing well wishes. Perfect.

Size: 16mm / 5⁄8" / 24L

Day 138 : Charles

Day 138 : Charles

Today's button is my attempt at a reproduction of a button that is on a suit that is in the V&A. It dates from the 1680s, and there are at least five different buttons on this suit. Some are possible replacements, but they are in different places for different functions, so may all be original. The original used an even finer gimp thread (I've used our .5mm gimp) and in actual fact the original also had the mould covered first (for this, a No 24 mould), but the pattern is the same. And because so much of that pattern is at the side, a bit of a pain to photograph artistically.  I'm chuffed with it, and it is much simpler than it looks. Another for the forthcoming book! 

Size : 10mm / 3⁄8" / 16L