I have been spending some meditative time today carding up the amazing vintage buttons I picked up at Quilt Market a few weeks ago. They are so, so lovely to touch, so it’s been a sort of zone-out mellow mood today as I’ve put them on cards to hang at the shop.
I have more than a little bit of a crush on these buttons. They were all rescued from an abandoned warehouse in Manhattan, the boxes of cardboard crumbling around the pristine buttons, all of which date to 1960 or earlier. They’re made of wood, glass, metal, mother-of-pearl, shell, and they’re all beautiful and weighty and smoothly lovely under my fingers.
I am super delighted to have these at Whipstitch. Finding good buttons, as anyone who has looked will tell you, is much, much harder than you might think–and certainly much harder than it has any right to be. When I discovered these, I was in button heaven for a solid hour selecting the 20+ varieties that I brought back home–the very best that could be had, with the most range in style and materials.
I bought bulk bags, because some of these are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Glass globes painted black in the most unusual shapes? Tiny shell buttons dyed turquoise in the perfect size for a vintage-inspired blouse? Little chartreuse buttons imprinted with teeny fleurs de lis? Shanked mother-of-pearl buttons that were made by hand, and each of which is slightly different from any of the rest, like little button snowflakes?
Buttons will be available in-store in Atlanta beginning tomorrow, and online as soon as we can get them listed. Feel free to convo or email if you’d like us to put together a custom listing for you prior to then!
Janimal
December 7, 2010 at 9:32 amOh man – I have GOT to get some time to visit your store and check these out! They look just lovely. You are so right it is hard to find nice buttons.
dana
December 7, 2010 at 8:43 pmyou bought them! Oh you are so brilliant. Love them!
Rachel at Stitched in Color
December 8, 2010 at 8:42 amI don’t even use buttons, but those are so special! How wonderful that you were able to rescue them. That makes them twice as valuable for sure!
Carol Paschal
January 12, 2011 at 9:49 amI LOVE BUTTONS and can’t wait to be able to buy them online.