I know I've watched this late and someone has probably already made this comment, so please accept my apologies for rerun commentary. The U.S. coinage added to 53 cents. You had three pennies (copper, 1 cent each), one quarter (largest silver piece, 25 cents), one nickel (middle-sized silver piece, 5 cents), and two dimes (smallest, thinnest silver pieces, 10 cents each). And, learning from history and your video about using such items for buttons, especially when you need to smuggle money and other valuables, is wonderful! Thanks for the tutorial.
My Mom grew up in the mid-1920s in Texas. Store bought was a rare indulgence. The metal inserts were cut from loose tobacco tins and bits of raw cotton filling was abundant along dirt roadways. When various soldiers were camped nearby, uniform buttons were given as mementos.
Your video is a treat from start to finish, who doesn't enjoy a taste of Sharpe?! I will be rifling through my foreign coins later. Thanks for posting.
I needed two buttons for a flannel dress and because of the nature of flannel didn't want to just cover existing buttons because I know how the fabric wears on corners and wouldn't hold up anything heavy, so I made my own buttons out of about 4 layers of canvas!
I am about to make my first outfit with buttons and this video was helpful because I couldn't find any pre-made buttons made from the same color of satin. This was a life savior because I thought I was going to have to shelf the project. Now I don't Thank you so much Constance, and Welcome to RUclips! :)
This is my favourite way of making buttons! I bought *a lot* of plastic buttons *really* cheaply recently and have been having a lot of fun using them to make covered buttons, with the rounded back as the top of the covered button.
Brand new viewer here and I am really looking forward to more of your videos. Very calming and informative. For no reason other than I want to, I am going to make some covered buttons now 😉
Now I want to pick up my Dorset button project again! So much to do, so few hours of work in the hands.. I really must agree about your reason for remembering about Sharpe. :D
Dorset buttons are such lovely projects, I’ve only done the basics but with embroidery and imagination they can be such a good base to build from. And as for Sharpe he’s been in my mind for many years now.
Thank you thank you, Constance, for starting your YT channel and providing us with unique tutorials such as these buttons), using flat irons, making fabric starch, etc. These are all practices that I have wondered about but have never seen tutorials to answer my questions. So I very much appreciate, and look forward to, your posts!!
Handsewing History thank you. And good luck in finding the perfect 1/3 scale mould. Let me know what does the job especially if you feel really innovative in your thinking.
I just had time to listen to the american duchess podcast part where they interviewed you, and you had that part about the thimble usage... done! I'm learning to use one now, even with Bernadette's constant gentle prodding.
Thanks! I almost bout button molds but... I made some buttons using white 2 hole shell buttons as my mold. I looked at buttons on line and in the store and they are all the same. I decided on satin buttons and instead of buying them I made them. I am trying to make my vest with all natural materials and used the 3/4 inch shell buttons I had. They have a good weight to them. I was going to use a cotton batting, but just used 2 layers of the black silk satin and ironed on SF101 which is 100% cotton interface. I could not be more pleased. I may go to the hardware store and look around, but I am trying to use less, not buy things so my reusing buttons I already had is great!
Element Gypsy oh what a great idea. I often visit out local hardware shop for tools and alternative supplies, I used little split rings from there to make Dorset buttons and washers to use as pattern weights.
I’ve never seen this done before 😮😮😮🧵 what a great idea I really dislike those horrid buttons you cover yourself they stand too proud and never look a pleasing shape. I have just done some buttons for a kimono style shirt Ive made I found plastic play money they are a decent size but not at all heavy so they don’t pull. Thank 🙏 you so much for the excellent tutorial.
This is most likely not historical evidence, but there is this french kids movie "La guerre des boutons" where the rivaling village kids were ripping each others trouser's buttons off to shame them, and because they seemed to have been quite expensive in wartime France. It is a very lovely movie to watch nonetheless, so if anyone is ever interested, I highly recommend it.
This is brilliant. I have 200 lire coins that are useless. I was going to ask my husband to drill holes in them to make buttons, but I think I'll cover them instead!
Lovely Constance, great information here. I have never done covered buttons before! I know that I will eventually like to venture into 18th century so this information will come in handy.
I so needed this! I've just made high waisted skirt I had no zipper or buttons for so I decided to make them from what I had at home. I used felt circles that one is using to stick to furniture as a mold but I've cut the fabric circumference too large and they have that weid bulky tail of fabric now. I guess I'll be remading them, thank you for sharing!
I just had time to listen to the american duchess podcast part where they interviewed you, and you had that part about the thimble usage... done! I'm learning to use one now, even with Bernadette's constant gentle prodding. Edit: And about the currency thing, Oscar Wilde had a character who pawned the silver buttons off his best coat, but i think those were decorative buttons, like on military parade wear, not wrapped buttons like these, if that makes sense in the case of the trousers.
I'm coming to this late but my Mum who was born in 1932 and learnt to sew from her grandmother would use cardboard with or without batting to make button blanks, I remember a tweed cloak with silk buttons she made with cardboard. If for any reason the entire cloak had to be laundered she simply removed the buttons.
Hey Constance, this video is so on point for me, which was looking to do covered buttons for my first ever wearable project (or at least I hope so ..) so THANK YOU! However, I have a question: can i use scrap fabric so do the padding if I do not have the proper fabric for it? Would it be nice enough or should I just skip the padding directly? And by the way, your pin cushion is SO CUTE!
Adèle Charue use any fabric you have available to you to pad the button a fuzzy wool or brushed cotton would be good but use absolutely anything you have to hand. The wadding as it’s advantage as it’s light but it’s not authentic to history it just creates the effect I desire. The cactus pin cushion was made for me by a dear friend, it’s lovely isn’t it.
Ohh..that is amazing, thank you! I just have a, maybe weird, question. If i want to make covered buttons for a garment, which i tend to wear regularly (like everyday clothing), would the buttons survive a round in the washing machine or would they be fraying? Maybe sewing another circle of fabric to the back would help? Love your videos!
Hello No strange questions here. This method I used I always intend for outer layers that don’t go in the wash as they probably would not survive regular washing. Yes you can neaten the back by sewing a smaller circle into the back of the button to strengthen it. And another way of strengthening the cloth is to iron fusible interfacing onto the back of your outer fabric. Although that’s obviously a modern technique, whatever makes your clothing wearable and affordable at this time is the right method to my mind. Hope that’s helpful.
Hmmm...and to be honest, tho I never read the books, that's why I still love Sharp :-D Thank you for a lovely tutorial. You are way too young to have worked on any of those sets but what did you think of the costuming?
I first watched Sharpe over 20 years ago and loved it at the time. Looking back and rewatching the men’s stuff holds up quite well some of the Ladies stuff is not so good but having also worked on a few TV series and realised the reality of deadlines and take in to account they where often filming on location. It’s very good really give it take the odd visible zip RAF braces on Sharpe’s trousers and a safety pin on a publicity pictures I think it’s very good.
I've switched to reclaimed mother of pearl buttons for my blouses rather than using plastic. I am now about to switch to a mangle after my spindryer blew up in my face and tried to kill me. Do you have any information on how to prevent buttons breaking when being mangled? I tried searching on the internet,but all the sources of information seem to completely contradict one another. Thanks.
The only way I know how to preserve buttons is to poke them through a bit he fabric and fastening them with split pins or those little tiny clips that look like small hair grips so you can easily remove them for laundering. But that only works on buttons with shanks.
Thanks. I did come across an old Victorian advert for linen buttons,literally a little circle or square of linen embroidered,but I'm not clear whether they were just used as a push through tab(unlikely) or were ready made covers for wooden buttons. Another theory of mine is the way the garment is folded before being threaded through the rollers. I think I will just have to experiment on a shirt I am not too attached to.
Underwear (which was most frequently put through the mangle) would historically close with ties, thread buttons (easy to make with just thread and beeswax) or Dorset buttons made with a metal ring mould, rather than wood, bone or shell buttons.
Thank you so much for the video! I just wanted to ask if you could tilt the camera slightly when filming overhead. It's just that I always feel a bit sick when watching, as if I were going to fall forward any minute. I will still watch ypur videos though, whatever you do :-)
Hello, I will try my very best to film anything over head in a less precarious manner in future. At the moment I’m making do with an iPad or iPhone balanced on a homemade tripod, but I hope to improve in future. I’m glad you enjoyed nonetheless.
Leave a long thread once you have finished sewing the back of the button. Or fasten in a new thread long enough to sew it to your garment. Then stitch through the garment and the button going into the cloth and back through the whole back fabric of the button. Do this a few times both horizontally and vertically and then wrap the thread around the stitches to form a shank. Pass the needle to the back of the garment and fasten off securely. I’m doing this with my deathhead buttons in another video
Speaking of people fleeing hard times and persecution I saw in a documentary on the Romanov family that the women sewed all their jewellery and diamonds into their undergarments in the hopes of using it after they left Russia. We all know what ended up happening but apparently because of the jewellery sewn into the undergarments it protected the women somewhat against the bullets.
I have been given a shoebox literally filled with ugly buttons that I think will be fabulous to use as button blanks. Not that I've ever actually covered a button, but I hope they will be useful somehow. They are hideous plastic monstrosities as they are. Ugh.
I know I've watched this late and someone has probably already made this comment, so please accept my apologies for rerun commentary. The U.S. coinage added to 53 cents. You had three pennies (copper, 1 cent each), one quarter (largest silver piece, 25 cents), one nickel (middle-sized silver piece, 5 cents), and two dimes (smallest, thinnest silver pieces, 10 cents each). And, learning from history and your video about using such items for buttons, especially when you need to smuggle money and other valuables, is wonderful! Thanks for the tutorial.
My Mom grew up in the mid-1920s in Texas. Store bought was a rare indulgence. The metal inserts were cut from loose tobacco tins and bits of raw cotton filling was abundant along dirt roadways. When various soldiers were camped nearby, uniform buttons were given as mementos.
That is easy to remember Constance! LOL.
And, a fun video. Thanks for sharing👍.
Linda
What a wonderful tutorial! I often use covered buttons in my projects, but now when I'm in a pinch for supplies, I will dig into my jar of coins.
Just like making fabric yo-yos for quilts or adornments. Great video, thanks for sharing. The 18th century suit at the end is stunning!
Denise M thank you
Your video is a treat from start to finish, who doesn't enjoy a taste of Sharpe?! I will be rifling through my foreign coins later. Thanks for posting.
Excellent
Thank you for this super clear demonstration!
Thank you.
Lovely film, I made my first Dorset button using yarn today . a new lock down skill !
carole harris how are they coming along are you at the decorative embroidery stage by now if lockdown
My holiday money happens to be rather a lot of 2p coins 😄 excellent! Thank you for this.
Willoughby & Rose excellent enjoy
I needed two buttons for a flannel dress and because of the nature of flannel didn't want to just cover existing buttons because I know how the fabric wears on corners and wouldn't hold up anything heavy, so I made my own buttons out of about 4 layers of canvas!
Thank you! The pacing was perfect. I want to make buttons now. Also, young Sean Bean running around with no pants isn’t the worst thought.
JYoonBelly glad you liked it. And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of gratuitous Sean Bean content.
I'd fix Sean's Buttons any day.
Excellent tips! Thanks
WaterNai thank you.
Well, that was fun and informative. And don't worry about the lighting - who cares when you learn something useful?
HeuteNachtIstMeinTag thank you very much that’s kind of you.
I am about to make my first outfit with buttons and this video was helpful because I couldn't find any pre-made buttons made from the same color of satin. This was a life savior because I thought I was going to have to shelf the project. Now I don't Thank you so much Constance, and Welcome to RUclips! :)
Century Countess Oh that’s wonderful thank you very much. I’m glad it was also helpful and that you enjoyed the video.
This looks like a perfect way to cover up buttons that you may not completely like the look of. Great tutorial, thank you!
Tan Tan good idea or you can ring in the changes as all my make do and mend books remind me.
So very clever! Thank you for this!
Thank you very much.
this is great thank you!
Thank you.
I made some covered buttons yesterday! I am still amazed at how easy it is! (Ok it was a little fiddly but I managed ok!) Excellent tutorial!
This is my favourite way of making buttons! I bought *a lot* of plastic buttons *really* cheaply recently and have been having a lot of fun using them to make covered buttons, with the rounded back as the top of the covered button.
That’s a good idea too I think I have done that in the past as well. Thank you for mentioning it.
I love buttons! I'm excited to try making covered buttons for a coat
Thanks, it's very informative, imspiring and oddly relaxing!
Thank you very much.
Brand new viewer here and I am really looking forward to more of your videos. Very calming and informative. For no reason other than I want to, I am going to make some covered buttons now 😉
I’m very glad to hear it thank you.
Thank you for sharing
My pleasure
Your videos give such useful information!!! ❤❤❤ Thank you!!! ❤❤❤
Excellent thank you.
Now I want to pick up my Dorset button project again! So much to do, so few hours of work in the hands..
I really must agree about your reason for remembering about Sharpe. :D
Dorset buttons are such lovely projects, I’ve only done the basics but with embroidery and imagination they can be such a good base to build from. And as for Sharpe he’s been in my mind for many years now.
This is a brilliant video. I love the pink line as well, it gives the video an essay feel which goes well with the rather specialized topic
Thank you.
After making up a random way to do this on my regular daily wear projects, I am so glad you have put out an actual video on it.
Excellent I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Any other Americans happy that she called our money "holiday money"
Julianne Jennings yes! Love the term!
Oh dear, all this time I have been using the plastic and metal rings as stitch markers for my knitting!
Now I know better!
Nothing wrong with that, you could probably use the rings to make Dorset buttons.
@@stanceymackenzie what is a Dorset button 🤔
A reenactor told me about the 2p trick, pointing out that blanks cost more than 2p each!
Yes it’s perfect when you put it in that context isn’t it. Even 50ps are fairly good value but it sounds terribly extravagant doesn’t it.
Thank you thank you, Constance, for starting your YT channel and providing us with unique tutorials such as these buttons), using flat irons, making fabric starch, etc. These are all practices that I have wondered about but have never seen tutorials to answer my questions. So I very much appreciate, and look forward to, your posts!!
mmw55122 oh that’s great, thank you very much I’m glad they are interesting to you.
Awesome! You have a quarter, a nickel, 2 dimes and 3 pennies. 😉
jennersjam thank you
It WAS fun and informative :) i'm grateful for every video.
Thank you very much.
I don't think I have any need to make buttons at the moment, but I think I'm going to try, just for fun!
liz not slow very glad to hear it.
Great and easy to understand tutorial, thank you! Looking forward to more videos.
Excellent thank you very much.
Your title cards give me so much joy.
Thank you for this, I'm going to try to figure out how to translate this into 1/3 scale.
Handsewing History thank you. And good luck in finding the perfect 1/3 scale mould. Let me know what does the job especially if you feel really innovative in your thinking.
Ah!!! A fellow Sharpe fan! ❤
Indeed.
We are everywhere.
I just had time to listen to the american duchess podcast part where they interviewed you, and you had that part about the thimble usage... done! I'm learning to use one now, even with Bernadette's constant gentle prodding.
Alyssa Seay it’s a challenge to sew with one at first but you will with time find its natural and second nature.
Also, a fellow Sharpe fan!! Yay! 😍
Yes indeed
I love Sharpe too, both the books and the TV series.
Yes,! Why should all the blokes have fun.
Thanks! I almost bout button molds but...
I made some buttons using white 2 hole shell buttons as my mold. I looked at buttons on line and in the store and they are all the same. I decided on satin buttons and instead of buying them I made them.
I am trying to make my vest with all natural materials and used the 3/4 inch shell buttons I had. They have a good weight to them. I was going to use a cotton batting, but just used 2 layers of the black silk satin and ironed on SF101 which is 100% cotton interface. I could not be more pleased. I may go to the hardware store and look around, but I am trying to use less, not buy things so my reusing buttons I already had is great!
Element Gypsy oh what a great idea. I often visit out local hardware shop for tools and alternative supplies, I used little split rings from there to make Dorset buttons and washers to use as pattern weights.
I’ve never seen this done before 😮😮😮🧵 what a great idea I really dislike those horrid buttons you cover yourself they stand too proud and never look a pleasing shape. I have just done some buttons for a kimono style shirt Ive made I found plastic play money they are a decent size but not at all heavy so they don’t pull. Thank 🙏 you so much for the excellent tutorial.
This is most likely not historical evidence, but there is this french kids movie "La guerre des boutons" where the rivaling village kids were ripping each others trouser's buttons off to shame them, and because they seemed to have been quite expensive in wartime France. It is a very lovely movie to watch nonetheless, so if anyone is ever interested, I highly recommend it.
well this is a good use of the two jars i have full of pennies and 2ps
ketra krelek excellent
Here in Canada 🇨🇦 we handed then in to sell the copper. Talk about it leaving the country 😉
I'm currently making a waistcoat and I wanted some covered buttons on it, perfect timing
I’m very glad to hear it thank you.
Well this is perfect timing, I was looking into this to make some decorative buttons for a walking skirt I finished a while ago, thank you :)
Excellent I’m glad this case at an opportune moment.
This is brilliant. I have 200 lire coins that are useless. I was going to ask my husband to drill holes in them to make buttons, but I think I'll cover them instead!
I have Barbadian coins that the bank wouldn't take...expired currency . Repurpose ready! 😀👍
Lovely Constance, great information here. I have never done covered buttons before! I know that I will eventually like to venture into 18th century so this information will come in handy.
I’m glad this will one day be useful and thank you for watching anyway.
I just love that you didn't want to use a contrasting thread!
It really would not have mattered would it. Or I could probably carried on with the first thread. Thanks for watching.
@@stanceymackenzie thank you for sharing it with us!
I so needed this! I've just made high waisted skirt I had no zipper or buttons for so I decided to make them from what I had at home. I used felt circles that one is using to stick to furniture as a mold but I've cut the fabric circumference too large and they have that weid bulky tail of fabric now. I guess I'll be remading them, thank you for sharing!
Pressing cloth buttons with a steam iron can sometimes help squash them or smooth them out a bit.
I just had time to listen to the american duchess podcast part where they interviewed you, and you had that part about the thimble usage... done! I'm learning to use one now, even with Bernadette's constant gentle prodding.
Edit: And about the currency thing, Oscar Wilde had a character who pawned the silver buttons off his best coat, but i think those were decorative buttons, like on military parade wear, not wrapped buttons like these, if that makes sense in the case of the trousers.
Alyssa Seay it’s an excellent habit to acquire if you can manage it.
Very interesting video. I found out about you from Noelle! Welcome to RUclips!
Thank you very much for taking the time to come and have a look. I really appreciate it.
it's two dimes, a quarter, a nickel, and three american pennies, btw. love the videos!
I'm coming to this late but my Mum who was born in 1932 and learnt to sew from her grandmother would use cardboard with or without batting to make button blanks, I remember a tweed cloak with silk buttons she made with cardboard. If for any reason the entire cloak had to be laundered she simply removed the buttons.
I have a childhood memory of discovering that a covered button was cardboard inside.... a long time ago.
Tfs🙂
Hey Constance, this video is so on point for me, which was looking to do covered buttons for my first ever wearable project (or at least I hope so ..) so THANK YOU!
However, I have a question: can i use scrap fabric so do the padding if I do not have the proper fabric for it? Would it be nice enough or should I just skip the padding directly?
And by the way, your pin cushion is SO CUTE!
Adèle Charue use any fabric you have available to you to pad the button a fuzzy wool or brushed cotton would be good but use absolutely anything you have to hand. The wadding as it’s advantage as it’s light but it’s not authentic to history it just creates the effect I desire. The cactus pin cushion was made for me by a dear friend, it’s lovely isn’t it.
Ohh..that is amazing, thank you! I just have a, maybe weird, question. If i want to make covered buttons for a garment, which i tend to wear regularly (like everyday clothing), would the buttons survive a round in the washing machine or would they be fraying? Maybe sewing another circle of fabric to the back would help? Love your videos!
Hello
No strange questions here. This method I used I always intend for outer layers that don’t go in the wash as they probably would not survive regular washing. Yes you can neaten the back by sewing a smaller circle into the back of the button to strengthen it. And another way of strengthening the cloth is to iron fusible interfacing onto the back of your outer fabric. Although that’s obviously a modern technique, whatever makes your clothing wearable and affordable at this time is the right method to my mind. Hope that’s helpful.
@@stanceymackenzie yes thank you, that is very helpful :-D ! I will give it a try.
@@stanceymackenzie late to the party, but would using a blanket stitch or buttonhole stitch around the cut edge reinforce enough for washing?
I have always wanted to do this! Could you use plastic buttons as a mould?
Andromeda West absolutely anything that’s the right size and shape is fine.
I don't really do asmr but I have to say that the sound of the thread pulling through the fabric as you stitched just sounded so GOOD
Hmmm...and to be honest, tho I never read the books, that's why I still love Sharp :-D Thank you for a lovely tutorial. You are way too young to have worked on any of those sets but what did you think of the costuming?
I first watched Sharpe over 20 years ago and loved it at the time. Looking back and rewatching the men’s stuff holds up quite well some of the Ladies stuff is not so good but having also worked on a few TV series and realised the reality of deadlines and take in to account they where often filming on location. It’s very good really give it take the odd visible zip RAF braces on Sharpe’s trousers and a safety pin on a publicity pictures I think it’s very good.
Could u make covered buttons using actual buttons?
Absolutely anything not to heavy or perishable is a good button mould stand in.
I've switched to reclaimed mother of pearl buttons for my blouses rather than using plastic. I am now about to switch to a mangle after my spindryer blew up in my face and tried to kill me. Do you have any information on how to prevent buttons breaking when being mangled? I tried searching on the internet,but all the sources of information seem to completely contradict one another. Thanks.
The only way I know how to preserve buttons is to poke them through a bit he fabric and fastening them with split pins or those little tiny clips that look like small hair grips so you can easily remove them for laundering. But that only works on buttons with shanks.
Thanks. I did come across an old Victorian advert for linen buttons,literally a little circle or square of linen embroidered,but I'm not clear whether they were just used as a push through tab(unlikely) or were ready made covers for wooden buttons. Another theory of mine is the way the garment is folded before being threaded through the rollers. I think I will just have to experiment on a shirt I am not too attached to.
Underwear (which was most frequently put through the mangle) would historically close with ties, thread buttons (easy to make with just thread and beeswax) or Dorset buttons made with a metal ring mould, rather than wood, bone or shell buttons.
Thank you so much for the video! I just wanted to ask if you could tilt the camera slightly when filming overhead. It's just that I always feel a bit sick when watching, as if I were going to fall forward any minute. I will still watch ypur videos though, whatever you do :-)
Hello, I will try my very best to film anything over head in a less precarious manner in future. At the moment I’m making do with an iPad or iPhone balanced on a homemade tripod, but I hope to improve in future. I’m glad you enjoyed nonetheless.
@@stanceymackenzie Oh thank you so much, that is really kind of you! I'm really happy you are making videos 😊 Love your content on IG and here.
Can you tell me how the buttons are sewn to the garment?
Leave a long thread once you have finished sewing the back of the button. Or fasten in a new thread long enough to sew it to your garment. Then stitch through the garment and the button going into the cloth and back through the whole back fabric of the button. Do this a few times both horizontally and vertically and then wrap the thread around the stitches to form a shank. Pass the needle to the back of the garment and fasten off securely. I’m doing this with my deathhead buttons in another video
Speaking of people fleeing hard times and persecution I saw in a documentary on the Romanov family that the women sewed all their jewellery and diamonds into their undergarments in the hopes of using it after they left Russia. We all know what ended up happening but apparently because of the jewellery sewn into the undergarments it protected the women somewhat against the bullets.
I have been given a shoebox literally filled with ugly buttons that I think will be fabulous to use as button blanks. Not that I've ever actually covered a button, but I hope they will be useful somehow. They are hideous plastic monstrosities as they are. Ugh.