Guest blogger- Christina Craig
Workshop- Hand Made Buttons by Jethrotex Braidmakers
A fine time was had by all on our February workshop at the Guild when we learnt all about decorative buttons and made some beautiful examples. The day started with a talk from the Jethrotex Braidmakers who explained some of the history of decorative buttons, the bling of days gone by and an incredible status system for the wearer, mostly men! We were shown a variety of types of buttons including Leek (usually formed over a wooden circle), Dorset and Yorkshire which we attempted later in the day.
We began by using crochet cotton to form the spokes of a wheel on our plastic templates (see pic.) and then stitched round and round in circles to fill in the gaps until we had a pretty circle which was then taken off the template, stuffed and gathered to produce a cute round button.
I thought the finished buttons were extremely pretty and it was interesting to see how variegated yarns added an extra dimension to the piece. I’m not showing you mine though, perhaps pristine white thread wasn’t the best choice for a trial piece, it was pretty enough but not quite white when I’d finished, especially with fibres from my jumper mixed in! Even so, it was a lovely day and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.
As a new member of the guild, I have really enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of this group and am really looking forward to next month’s dyeing workshop. Watch this space!
(Thank you Christina for great photographs and an excellent write up :) Ali)
Workshop- Hand Made Buttons by Jethrotex Braidmakers
A fine time was had by all on our February workshop at the Guild when we learnt all about decorative buttons and made some beautiful examples. The day started with a talk from the Jethrotex Braidmakers who explained some of the history of decorative buttons, the bling of days gone by and an incredible status system for the wearer, mostly men! We were shown a variety of types of buttons including Leek (usually formed over a wooden circle), Dorset and Yorkshire which we attempted later in the day.
We began by using crochet cotton to form the spokes of a wheel on our plastic templates (see pic.) and then stitched round and round in circles to fill in the gaps until we had a pretty circle which was then taken off the template, stuffed and gathered to produce a cute round button.
I thought the finished buttons were extremely pretty and it was interesting to see how variegated yarns added an extra dimension to the piece. I’m not showing you mine though, perhaps pristine white thread wasn’t the best choice for a trial piece, it was pretty enough but not quite white when I’d finished, especially with fibres from my jumper mixed in! Even so, it was a lovely day and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.
As a new member of the guild, I have really enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of this group and am really looking forward to next month’s dyeing workshop. Watch this space!
(Thank you Christina for great photographs and an excellent write up :) Ali)
No comments:
Post a Comment