Tuesday 5 August 2014

Dorset Buttons

I love discovering new crafts,  especially new crafts that involve using yarn and even more especially new crafts that involve using up all the teeny tiny bits of yarn that I just can't bear to throw away...




Brighton Unwind provided me with just that thing. Ever heard of Dorset Buttons?? Well, bizarrely enough nor had I until a couple of months before when I happened to read a book called  Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier (same author of The Girl with the Pearl Earring ).


The book centres around a family from rural 18th Century Dorset who go to live in Georgian London to escape family tragedy and find their fortune. The mother and daughter earn 'piece' money by making Dorset buttons, a centuries-old craft that heralded the introduction of cottage industries to the rural communities.

So it was then that when I came across a stall selling buttons and  kits I knew I had to give it a go.

Crosswheel Button Necklace

Tree Button

Rockpool Necklace construction



Rockpool Necklace 




After speaking to very-inspiring Jen Best who has published this fascinating book


I bought a small button-making kit and with her advice in my ears resolved to try it out once home. 

It's harder than it looks! Here are my first attempts...I have along way to go before I get to Jen's level!




I will definitely have another go as I love the idea of producing my own buttons to go with my own creations. Just need a few more days in the week...



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