Buttons Make the Statement

This is our grandson's first Easter. I'm looking forward to the family visit and a special dinner honoring DH's birthday and the resurrection of our Lord. I put the finishing touches on this cardigan for Evan. 

So I got out the button box to choose buttons, a vintage Whitman's tin. I'm such a sucker for collectible tins.

My Mom taught me to save buttons and I have all my life. When a shirt or blouse wore out, we'd remove the buttons before throwing it away. But that adds up over time. This is about a fourth of the collection.
 

 

I've often thought that shoes really define an outfit, but buttons also make a statement.

 

These are shell buttons and pick up the colors of the variegated yarn really nicely.

Well then I got drawn into grouping and sorting the buttons. It was as absorbing as working a jigsaw puzzle; turn each piece over, see if you can find a match, remember color, shade and shape.

 

This is only part of what I grouped. I got completely spread out on the kitchen table using jelly roll pans and cookie sheets, it went on for days! But eventually I decided enough was enough and it was time to put it away and do something else. When I was little, Mom showed me how to use a needle and thread to group the buttons on string and tie them into a bundle; but that's slow going.

 

So I used these mini ziplock bags instead.

A fun rainy day activity.