Buttons who knew eh?

Buttons and button-like objects used as ornaments or seals rather than fasteners have been discovered in the Indus Valley Civilization during its Kot Yaman phase (circa 2800–2600 BC)^[5] as well as Bronze Age sites in China (circa 2000–1500 BC), and Ancient Rome.

Buttons made from seashell were used in the Indus Valley Civilization for ornamental purposes by 2000 BC.^[6] Some buttons were carved into geometric shapes and had holes pierced into them so that they could be attached to clothing with thread.^[6] Ian McNeil (1990) holds that: "The button, in fact, was originally used more as an ornament than as a fastening, the earliest known being found at Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley. It is made of a curved shell and about 5000 years old."^[7]

The earliest functional buttons were found in the tombs of conquering Hungarian tribes from the late 9th century.^[8] Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.^[9] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.

Wikipaedia

 Well do I feel enlightened. All I've ever used them for was clothing!!!!!

But now I'm selling them on my website because I have found that the humble button is used by so many 'crafty' people in an incredible number of ways....... here are some ideas to name a few.......

Card Making : as decoration, as a centre for a flower motif, as a fastening so the person receiving has to 'undo' their card. (Clever eh?)

Scrapbooking: The list is endless! Depending on the size of button a thin ribbon can be threaded through 2-3 to make a neat border. They can be stuck onto other border embellishments, as corners to photos and again as centres to flowers.

Patchwork/Quilting: Eyes for appliqued animals! They look especially cute on a teddy bear, not only for eyes but also down his waistcoat.Bird house buttons, bear buttons, gingerbread men buttons can all be used on wall hangings.....I have tractor and red barn buttons I use on American style farm wall hangings!

Cross stitch: With the many different button designs these days they can be used to add depth to your cross stitched picture....

And still there is clothing!!!! 

Wow the humble button has made itself incredibly useful don't you think?

Have fun being creative....

See ya next time

Nic x