I am a bead maker.These are transformed into jewelry. It wasn't a far step to see my rolled out textured slab cut into different round shapes. These were created to sell at the Jerome Artists' Cooperative, where I show my ceramics.
Buttons have been around as long as clothing. Since prehistory, people have made them from stone, shell, horn, and yes, ceramics.From the crusades, the art of buttons were imported from the near east. Mostly it was the men who used them, to fasten their sleeves, their jackets.By the mid 1800s , the industrial revolution made them available to the masses. Queen Victoria always had her jet black buttons.
There has always been a market for the original, hand made style of this fastener. They work well on knit fabrics, shawls and sweaters,and serve to individualize clothing. Mine fall into this category. No matter how I would like to standardize, each shape I create is hand carved, hence original. Each texture is similar, but how the stains apply has a personality.
I use three colors made from oxides: a cobalt blue;brown from iron oxide, and a soft green, from chrome. These are high fired and will stay on forever. I have done my product testing, and use them in the washing machine without breakage. The rough and tumble of the dryer is against my written advice.
I mount my buttons on a hand lettered display cards. They are little pieces of art, in case it takes you a while to get around to sewing!
How do I order some? Right up my alley........Hugs,
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