January 20th, 2013

I found these nifty Dorset buttons tutorials on Pinterest and have tried my hand at them...
I like them... hee hee

Anyhow they were from centuries ago used for closures on real fancy outfits (men's included and mostly until women took over and did some adjusting.)Then somewhere in time in London, factories allowed women to make these at home so they could be with their children. I think they also got the children involved. They were given the meager supplies needed and used real bone rings to make them into the sizes needed. They had to make a gross per day... Imagine having to make 144 of them... It was truly one of the few jobs women could do without the husband's objection. Just making Buttons? But see it paid 3 pence if they got it done within a day.I imagine they turned them in for money and restock their new supplies to make more of. I even think they mayhave stayed up many hours at night to finish what wasn't for the next morning.
Now it took me a long time to make the first one (purple) but the second one went rather smoothly.
I made one of my  felt neck purses with crochet edging along with the purple one, in case you want to know what that might be...
the second one I will try and incorporate into one of those felt brooches.