Monday, June 9, 2008 - I Remember Laura ~ Beautiful Buttons
This week we will be sharing button collections, button identification and care, as well as button stories. Did you have a favorite dress with special buttons? Did you play in your grandmothers button box? There are many descriptions of the buttons used on clothing in the Little House books, from the plain and serviceable ones for the work shirts Laura made button holes for, the bright and beautiful like the ones that looked like berries on Ma's dress that she wore to the sugaring off party, to the fabric covered ones for Laura's best brown dress. Tell us about your button tales!
I came to read Laura's books after watching the TV show. I was a little girl myself at the time. My Mum bought the books for me. When I started ebaying I bought them again. Also when I was 39 we rented a farmhouse for a year an hour out of Melbourne. It was in a very natural place and I had a 1 year old to look after during the day. I ordered books about Laura from the library in Bundoora. I am pretty sure, I was able to read all about Rose and some of the Caroline series there. I recently was able to finish the last in the Caroline series. I plan on reading more about Charlotte, Caroline's Mom & Martha her Grandmother. I bought for myself the book of Laura's lost years.
This is from Little City by the Lake p220 about Caroline's dress.
"Oh I do like this lavender silk," Aunt Jane said, draping some over Caroline's shoulder.
Caroline liked it too. She knew her friends' ball dresses would be made out of silk or satin, but something took hold of Caroline, and she found herself trying to see the choices as her mother would see them. A dress made by a dressmaker was a special gift. Caroline knew it would have to last her a long time, long after she left Milwaukee with its sophisiticated Winter Ball. She knew she needed a dress that would wear well, no matter what the occasion, no matter where she might be.
"What about this?" she asked, reaching for a bolt Mr. Schmidt had just brought down from the shelves.
"Oh, the delaine," Mr. Schmidt said, unfurling a swath of deep shimmery green. "It is a muslin. Very popular back east. Very fashionable and light."
Caroline took the material between her fingers. It was light, but it felt durable too. And it shimmered magnificiently when she turned it this way and that. Over the deep green, there was a faint pattern of red, like tiny strawberries..."
We keep our buttons in baby food jars sorted into colors. I don't often or haven't for years bought any buttons. I have bought a new machine, but I don't sew, that is not to say I can't. I have been doing some hand stitching.
We do have a very small collection of army buttons.
I have been admiring some retro buttons everytime I go to the collectibles shop. I go there to browse mostly. I did buy a Anne of Green Gables book and some replacement canisters, old potato bags and probably some other things.
I remember the shop that my Mum used to buy things from when we lived on the farm. It was a corner shop in the middle of the middle sized town if that makes sense. You could walk through the corner section as there was a display case out on the street. The sewing section was very nice. I was disappointed when another large shop in that town was turned into smaller independent shops and the material was taken away.
My favourite retro buttons are the clear ones.
When I was about 11 to 13 I think, my Mum helped me learn how to make button loops from cotton and thread. I quite like button loops. Maybe I learnt it at school as well. We had to do three years of sewing. I wish the girls had the same opportunity. At the school we were at before we moved here four years ago, even our son learnt sewing. He made a button doll. I love it.
There were private school holiday sewing classes when we came here. The girls made a cushion each and the buttons were glued on. My Mum made the girls some wheat bags with button detail, but sewn on lol. The stitchery said "Life is Special" and the buttons are red on calico.
Please visit Quill Cottage to read more about buttons.
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Posted by Miss Sandy
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment