Buttons

[Oma]

I caught something on the TV this morning not sure what it was as I was busy ,
It was a lady with a Button collection .
I wonder how many of us still have a button tin ?

I don’t I got rid of mine a long time ago ,
But I remember when the children were small I would knit and make a lot of their clothes and was always on the look out for nice buttons , like ones with trains on or ducks etc ,
They came on strips and the ones that didn’t get used went in my button tin..

We also had a stall in our local indoor market that had tubes of them you could buy as little or as many as you needed .
Again not many places except I think wool shops sell them like that now .

The children spent many a hour playing with them , my DD would sort them into same colour piles ,
A lot were from my mothers collection ,a lot of shell or mother of pearl and wooden ones
in all sizes .

Not a thing people keep these days is it .
The younger generation if a button comes off they throw the garment away as they are cheap to buy in likes of Primark.

[Lizzie48]

image.png Oma, I still have my MIL's button tin, along with the ones I collected over the years, there is a huge button shop in Delft, very popular as well, I will see if I can find a link. No link, just a few photo's.

image.png

[Gemini]

As a non sewer I have never had a button tin.

My mum had one, an old biscuit tin. It is here now somewhere.
My DDs loved playing with the buttons at Mum's when they were small.
Mum was adamant that even if a garment had had its day we must cut the buttons off
Oma I remember mum buying buttons from those see through cylinders, you chose just as many buttons as you needed.

[Oma]

Yes Lizzie that’s the type I was talking about ,

Gem
I think all the children used to love the Button tin 😁

[Grauntie Mag]

Oh how I love buttons! I have a button box containing buttons from my Grandmother and Mother and Aunts. There are some beautiful (to me) antique buttons amongst them, and buttons that I remember from the garment they were on. I cut buttons off garments I no longer want if I like them. I also replace buttons if I dislike what the manufacturer has put on.
A bit of a button saddo, really. 😬

[Plantaholic]

I have a tin containing buttons from my Mil. It is labelled Abram Lyle and sons Golden Syrup Tin, presumably previous to Tate and Lyle. The tin itself is just the same as it is today. Wonder how old it is.

[Lizzie48]

Plant, this one image.png

[Lizzie48]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164985794328

1950's

[Daisy]

I used to have a button tin - it was from The Queen's Coronation in 1953! I don't know what happened to it, but I've got buttons in a very boring square tupperware type box. I've no idea why I keep them as I hardly ever use them.

I bought some new buttons online about a year ago for a new cardigan with the world's worst dreary buttons on. It was actually quite hard to find the right size without having to buy loads of them.

Grauntie, I bet your antique buttons are beautiful.

Who knew a very old Golden Syrup tin could be worth $80+!

I never remember playing with buttons as a child. But my Mum didn't sew.

[Plantaholic]

Lizzie, yes that is the one. Mine is in a better condition than the ones being sold for eighty pounds.

[Nanto2girls]

I also have a button tin. Well they were in a really old biscuit tin(proper tin).
Now they are in roses or it might be a quality street plastic box.
I always saved them,because i used to do a lot of knitting.
We also had a stall in the market with the tubes of buttons.
I've still got some buttons on their original strips.
The chap who owned the stall retired a few years ago when he reached 100 years old.
His daughter took over the stall. I sometimes glance at the stall when passing,but she doesn't seem to have as much stock as her dad did.

[Oma]

My Uncle owned a tobacconist and newsagents
He was like Arkwright sold all sorts and had the buff coloured coat too😁
when he retired after my aunt died B and myself helped him clear the shop.
He had a cellar and we found dozens of boxes of tortoise shell buttons and old fashioned collor studs . Must have been there since the 20s at least all in pristine condition we took them to the local museum.

[Nanto2girls]

Loved shops that were like Arkwrights.
We could have spent hours looking round your Uncles shop.
I bet it was like an Aladdins cave.

[Oma]

Oh it was Nanto he sold all sorts , his front window was rows and rows of sweet jars ,
he had under the counter brown bags with what we called the mucky brigade magazines in ,
Knew what each person wanted it was hysterical , all hush hush 😁

Every time we see open all hours we say Uncle Franks 😁

[Daisy]

Oma, it's funny what was 'under the counter' back in the day in little shops. My parents' shop stocked sanitary towels (never on display) and sometimes Mums would send their children in with a note - "a packet of STs please", and the parcel (quite large and bulky in those days) would be duly wrapped up and put directly into the bag the child had with them. On the other hand youngsters could get their mum or dad a packet of Woodbines without any trouble!

The shop next door was a kind of hardware shop, but the owner had been a radio operator during the War and sold all sorts of electrical items, including radios, and all sorts of things I knew nothing about. He also sold paraffin which he stored in a tank in their back garden. Eeek! I don't know how he knew what stock he had as as it looked more like a junk shop than anything else. We got our first tv off him in 1952!