Button Collections
 

Do any of you collect buttons?

Recently while cleaning my fabric stash I came upon my button collection and once again I wish I had an idea on how to display them. When I started this collection I had the notion of displaying them. Do any of you display buttons and if so what form do you use? I had thought of a shadow box but they are all so different in size and type I don't know if it would work. If I had one of those lighted curio end tables with glass top would be great. Can you still find those? Some are coat buttons, some are glass dress buttons of various colors and I have several pearl mens shirt buttons still on the cards. I love them all and should be out for all to enjoy. Any ideas?

I have mine sorted in various jars by color.

I sewed all of mine on quilts as embellishments and can look at the quilts I kept every day.

I use buttons to embellish a lot. Last year I used them for Christmas ornament gifts.

I have mine in 1/2 gallon canning jars sorted by color. I think there are about 15 jars. I. Love. Buttons.

or perhaps you mean COLLECT as in expensive individual buttons? No.

I found an old spice rack at a yard sale and I sort buttons by color when the mood hits me. I also keep some special pins in a a couple of the jars so they don't get mixed up with the regular straight pins. Works for me!

The lighted display tables that you mentioned can be easily and cheaply made by using a large display case with lighting - or if it doesn't already have lighting in it, putting a strand of small lights around the inside edge. The ones that run off a battery would probably be easiest - and then attaching 4 legs purchased at Home Depot or Lowes and stained to match the display case. Another way to do this would be to find an attractive small table and fasten the display case to the top, making sure the display case is larger than the top of the table. I would line the case with black velvet and change the buttons from time to time to rotate my collection.

We display our buttons in old various type jars.

I keep my buttons in glass jars...and have embellished many quilts with buttons. I have most sorted by color, then all my pearl buttons in a jar, metal buttons are in a jar of their own. I haven't counted my jars, but probably have over 30.

I have a good friend who sewed her best buttons to the outside of an antique basket. It was very interesting and fun to look at plus she stored the rest inside of the basket.

I just saw wallhanging on Pintrest & it was a jar quilt & the jar was filled with buttons (sewn on). I have some really nice buttons & thought this would be a cute wallhanging for my sewing room. The hanging was a single jar, but I thought a row of them would be cute.

I have a gallon zip bag full. I use them in my quilty stuff. When i make things for swaps, i usually put them onto something, its like letting your kid go on the us for thr first time. I miss my buttons, but know others will enjoy them too.

Might you be able to make a lighted display table out of a glass topped table and some small led lights?

I love buttons, too. Not too long ago I asked my Mom if she still had her button box full of buttons and if so could I please have it when she was finished with it. It was a vey old cookie tin. I was so disappointed when she told me she gave them to my younger brothers to play with years and years ago and there are none of the buttons left. I need to start collecting antique ones one of these days along with antique sewing notions. My DH says anytime, but I always spend on fabric before I get a chance.

I shall watch this thread with interest...I have an accumulation of buttons...from my great-gran, my nan, my mother and of course mine....Mine are in plastic containers and the rest are in a really big tall tin, with a lid. Hardly ideal....when on a button search I put a sheet on the floor and tip the lot out. Some are still stitched to the cardboard with the price tags on.

I recently got into gathering buttons for my purses. Although I have a big tin which was my mothers, which has all sorts of buttons when I was a kid and teenager and started making clothes, I doubt that I will use most. I now collect large buttons 32-38 mm for purses. I now buy them online at Lots of Buttons.com and just placed another order! I like having a good assortment so when a purse is finished, I can find a good button for it without having to wait to finish it.

Nope but I'll be out searching for buttons this weekend. I'm doing an advent calendar and the ornaments are hung on the "tree" with buttons as each day passes. I want to find Christmas buttons if possible or ones that looks like toys/ornaments to put on the tree so that it looks decorated even before all of the ornaments are hung.

Thanks, these are ideas I had not thought of.
The buttons I mentioned are rather special.
I do have canning jars of buttons from previous years but these seem to get dull/scratched from use or rubbing against each other.

Designer Sarah Richardson (i think ) made some shadow boxes (deep type frames) with glued buttons in lines . looked nice. I have about three cans of buttons, not really a collection though.

Several women in our guild made their button into bracelets by sewing them on elastic. They turned out really neat.

I keep mine in pretty glass jars. Sometimes I use them on a craft project.

I purchased a button book on Amazon that has all sorts fun projects to do with buttons.

I have 3-4 odd shape jars that I picked up at garage sales (still looking) and I put my buttons in them. They sit on a shelf that I glued big buttons one...my GD loves to sort my buttons, when she comes to visit (lives in another state). Thats her job sorting buttons. I let her sort like she wants to, by shape, color, however. Usually, I have 2 or 3 jars for her, she surprised me this summer and brought 2 lovely jars that she found at a thrift store. Shes getting at the age now that she wants to decorate the jars...so she said she would decorate some and bring this summer. I love that I can share so type of sewing with her, she can't sit still long enough to sew..Outdoorsy type. LOL

I have my great-grandmother's, my grandmother's and my mother's button collections. They were all avid seamstresses/quilters and had tons of buttons. I remember it being a special childhood treat to get to play in the "button box". I now have them sorted into glass apothecary jars in my sewing room. Love them!

I love buttons too...still have my mothers oldies and they are some of my favorite treasures...she used to play "hide the Button" with me when I was little...it was so fun looking for those pretty things. There is lots of information on the internet about collecting buttons...here is one that might help...but google for more.
http://www.cabuttonsociety.org/supply-tips

someone at the sr. center had glued buttons on a mat .it was the two planes ...yes the world trade center! it was unbeliveable. who would think of this sort of skill from our OLDER folks. they still have it. real neat.....

My deceased aunt had been an avid button collector for decades. The only grouping in a shadow box with glass was her most prized collection. Other collections were attached to mats in frames she and her husband had made with a miter box and wood trim. It was always interested to visit her and see, feel the buttons and learn about the history. Several frames were mounted on an apparatus which allowed storage perpendicular to the wall... think of swinging mounts for selecting posters at a variety store. They probably bought something from an art supply or made their own system. Enjoy your buttons. Please share your treasures by explaining what, where, when and why to broaden our interests!

you could put them into a shadow box and hang it on the wall, you could string them up and hang them up.
Make a wall hanging quilt and sew them on it to use as a way of quilting it to gether.Good luck.