Button, Button…. Who’s Got the Button?

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I like making gifts for family, especially around the holidays. What could be better than one that helps store one of your granddaughter’s “collections”?

Several years ago, my granddaughter, Claire, started collecting buttons. She loved going though my jars of buttons that date back to my grandmother’s days of sewing. Some are just plain old buttons and others are very unique. In any event, back in my grandma’s day you never threw out anything that could be used again, so when a garment wore out you snipped off the buttons and even ripped out the zipper, if it was still operational. Everything got stored in her sewing cabinet. I still remember searching through her buttons, sorting them, and wondering how she was going to use them.

My mom developed the same habit of course, and as a child her sewing cabinet was a treasure box to me. I spent hours going through buttons, lace, trims, etc etc. I’d sort the threads, look at all the rick-rac, and dig through all the buttons, picking out the ones I wanted for eyes on my sock puppets.

I guess old habits must be inherited because I still cut off buttons on worn out clothes and store them away. Do I ever use them? Actually, yes I do. They make great “eyes” on crafts, provide replacements for buttons that pop off and roll into infinity, and sometimes they provide what I need for an entire project or garment!

Last year at this time Tom and I were at my favorite needlework haunt, Country Craft Cupboard, in Berlin, Ohio when we spotted this little button box creation. It was done in needle punch, which I don’t do, but it was something that I could easily convert into a cross stitch pattern using PC Stitch. I found the pattern on the pegboard, but the box was not in stock. As usual the lovely ladies at this store ordered it, called me when it arrived and held it for me until we made our next trip to Holmes County.

It took a bit of work to convert the pattern using PCStitch but it was well worth the effort. I had the pattern converted and stitched inside of a week while Tom stained the box a rich dark brown.  A little Mod Podge glue, some black felt for padding, a few old and unique buttons to start it off, and within 10 days I had the little box finished.

The best part of making any gift is the reaction of the person who receives it. Claire didn’t disappoint. Her eyes lit up and she announce that it was a good thing she got it because her button jar was full! It looks like Claire may follow in her great grandmother Annie’s footsteps and those of the two generations who learned from Annie.

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