Button, Button, Who Has the Button.

Remember that game?  I have got to remember to show that to my grandkids.  I am not sure their dads will remember without a nudge.

That is what I was up to today.  Buttons.

I have always had a button box.  Somewhere back in time, it was a jar and the buttons came off kids clothes that were used up and worn out.  I saved the buttons for the next stuff I would sew.  When we were in Calgary, I picked up a bag of buttons because I was looking for some for a project one of the boys was working on.  I used a lot of those buttons over the years and continued to use them here and there.  They were getting really picked over and it was hard to make a set of anything.  

Last winter, I bought some buttons for a couple upcoming projects and was seriously appalled at the price.  I bought simple buttons, plain ordinary ones and each card was more than five dollars. 30 dollars for buttons for two sweaters.  That is a lot of button money.  I thought there had to be a better way.

Last week, I bought a small bag of buttons at Michael's for ten dollars.  When I got them home, I was really pleased with my haul, so pleased, that I went back today while I was in town, to see if there were any other colours I might like.

I was hoping for a few more buttons in a certain size range, something that would be better for heavier yarns.  I am thinking winter is going to be big yarn knitting here at Chez Needles, so I bought two bags of each of two other colours of buttons.

From the first two bags, I found six different kinds of buttons in large groupings, ie, more than one sweaters worth of that type of button.  I picked another 2 or three significant buttons of the same size and style and was left with these.  I could have made more groups, but I thought for my sweater purposes, I had what I wanted sorted and just tossed all the little ones in the box loose.

Each bag had a couple of truly beautiful buttons.

I was really getting into it by this time.  When I sorted the darkest of the buttons, I just kept going till there were none left to sort into tidy piles to tie together.

If you look at the loose ones, you can see several other groups I could have made but seriously, even I know when it is time to call uncle.

So yes I did spend 40 dollars on buttons, (Actually 35.  I had a coupon.) but this time instead of getting two sets of buttons, I got 16 groups of buttons.  I stopped taking the tied ones out of the box at 16 .  Even more, many of the buttons had enough to use on two or more garments, and there were even more options if I am not picky about matching.  I also have oodles of a particularly nice little button that won't work to close a sweater but will make a great backing button for the larger ones.

I am very pleased with the button haul.  Next up, I have to find a couple nice buttons to make a sweater closure for Amy's Pole (which is kind of how the search for good buttons got started.).  I have been dawdling but sleeve two is half done, in spite of me. I picked up some nice stretchy lining fabric today too, so time to get a move on it. So close I can taste it.

The moral of todays story is, if you need buttons, call me.  Who has the buttons?  Me, that's who.