Originally Posted by
RedGarnet222
I have had three people give me their collections and my mother's when she passed. Plus I have my collected ones through the years. I always check at second hand stores for the old carded ones. It is very fun to find them just like new. I also have cut them off garments when it is no longer useful to wear. I love buttons, can you tell?
This is me too, even the thrift store finds!
Most of the buttons I "inherited" came to me in a motley assortment of baby food jars, prescription bottles and margarine tubs, many of which were not even see-through. And while I absolutely love the idea of displaying pretty colored buttons in clear containers, I simply do not have space in my sewing room Anywhere for a shelf or even half a shelf of mason jars full of buttons.
So my solution was the little divided plastic boxes that are meant to hold cross-stitch bobbins or beads. The kind for beads are best because the little "cells" are rounded in the bottom. It makes it easier to scoop the buttons out. I finally took the time to at least sort the buttons by color, then little by little I've been working on sorting them by size, style, etc. I am nearly done and have filled 12 of the larger (11 X 7) boxes and 8 of the half sized ones. Currently they are stacked in two plastic drawers under my cutting table. It is easy enough to pull one box out to look through.
Someday perhaps I will have my dream house with an entire floor dedicated to sewing and crafting, and Then I will have adorable apothecary jars stuffed with bright buttons and ribbons and lace and everything nice--all displayed like so much candy in a sweet shop. Until then my giant stash of fabric flat-folded on open shelves will have to do.