Quite a while ago Lorraine responded to my post about my thimble collection (click here for that post) with a collection of her own and I just realized I never shared it with you. This is what she sent to me:
“Your thimbles are beautiful and I loved the historical information you included in your post. Although I do not have a thimble collection I do have another sewing related collection: BUTTONS! I have been collecting buttons for over 50 years. As you will notice in the pictures, if you have a button collection you must also begin collecting jars! These jars are scattered throughout our house, mostly in the guest room and my quilt studio. I have more jars but I thought this would give you an idea of the size of my collection.
I have over 120,000 buttons. How do I know this? I am a retired elementary teacher and in order to help my 2nd and 3rd grade students understand the concept of a BIG number I would haul several of these jars to school every year and have my math students count them. After it took 25 kids, five 45-minute periods to count about 100,000 buttons they understood that was a LOT of buttons. But imagine a million buttons! They would have to count 10 times as many jars!
My love of buttons began when I was a kid and my mom let me play with her coffee can of buttons cut off of clothes before cutting up the fabric to make rag rugs or scrap quilts. When I learned to sew in high school I would rummage through the can and select buttons to sew onto my newly made clothes. After I left home to attend college I realized I had to start my own collection. That was back when you could buy a shoebox full of buttons for $1.00. Now you are lucky to buy a small baby food jar for under $4.00. Recently I only add to my collection when someone is downsizing or emptying the home of a loved one and they bring me the buttons they find stashed away in a closet somewhere.
I enjoy going through my newly acquired buttons and have been amazed at the variety of materials used to produce them: horn, bone, walnut shells, coconut shells, rubber, fabric, seashells, glass, celluloid, cork, a variety of metals, vegetable ivory, wood, leather, china and, of course, plastic. They come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes and some are truly tiny masterpieces.
PS. Sorry I rambled on but once I start talking about buttons (or quilting) I just can’t stop.“ 
I love the PS ~ and I get it! The following photo is of Lorraine’s largest and smallest buttons 😁:
What a fascinating collection and story. I’m so grateful to Lorraine for sharing it!
I too have a button collection, although I never planned on collecting them. It seems whenever a family member or friend downsizes or passes away ~ I get her buttons.
The ones from my grandmother are in the lovely antique covered dish she kept them in.
Years ago my mom and I were going through the things my dad kept after retiring from his dental practice. One of the items was a wooden case with drawers for keeping sample teeth for dentures. I could sort my buttons by color and give each group it’s own drawer. This has worked well for me for years.
I also had a bunch of buttons still on their original cards/packaging and those have found their way into a small wooden box.
and here are a few of my favorites:
As I was going through my collection I thought about a quilt I made with buttons for my second book, Snuggle and Learn Quilts for Kids. It’s called Counting on Buttons and it gave me the opportunity to sew some really cute buttons onto a quilt (they’re attached well – with strong beading thread!)
When I designed this quilt I decided that my grandkids would learn cursive 😊.
I don’t have as many buttons as Loraine, but I do love them!
Do you have a special way to store your buttons? Do you have a favorite you’d like to share?
judy says
Thanks again for your post. Always interesting!
Barb says
I only have a small amount and mine are divided in small containers. Red buttons are my favorite (I don’t know why) then what I think are old and also unique. Is the round one you have with the buttons inside a button or paper weight? It reminds me of a square in a square. A button in a button. ☺️😊😌
clkquilt says
I just couldn’t pass up the “buttons in a button” button when I found it at a quilt show a few years ago. The clear area has yellowed quite a bit, even though it’s stored in a dark container, but I still love it!
Alice says
What a beautiful collection! I also love buttons, but my collection is very small!
Susan Putman says
I have a ridiculous collection of buttons. It started when I found a receipt for the purchase of a button factory along the Rock River in my grandma’s paperwork. Owning a button factory accounts for all the mother of (clam) shell buttons she had in a jar. In college, my roommates and I had a collection on our coffee table that we would arrange and rearrange for stress relief. I am an avid antique shop and estate sale denizen, too. My sister lives on the East Coast and she sends me special buttons on cards that she picks up in Newport, Rhode Island, so I have buttons…maybe not 100,000 but a whole lot of Mason jars full!
Geri Burk says
I only have a small collection, but I keep all the white ones in an old glass milk bottle to make it look like a bottle of milk.
BethPeterson says
You just made my day! I also played with buttons as a child. Fun to see a dedicated button lovers stash! Thanks for your blog .Beth Peterson
Mary Wedor says
I love buttons too! Thanks for posting every week – it’s fun! Hugs
Jackie says
Just love this blog. Buttons, buttons, everywhere buttons but low and behold am not wearing any today. I too collect them. For me, the most beautiful, the most unique, the most different in shape, the oddest color, those that tell stories are the best ones and I find it hard to use them because they may never return me even if it is the best thing for the job I’m doing. Know this is dumb but what do you do?
Mary Miller says
My collection is in a clear plastic bag. I save them because someone in my family looses one and I try to find a match, or something close to a match.
I love the feeling that when I need a button or a few buttons I have some on hand, to make use of.
(Boy do I sound like this old practical person or what!)
louise haddon says
I have my button in a chest (metal box from hwd store) with small drawers. Buttons are sorted by color/size and also hold the ones still on cards if folded. I use this same system for storing all of my earrings.
Karen Moe says
Love the counting quilt with the buttons. Great idea!
Cheryl Barkdoll says
Like many quilters, I have collections of thimbles and buttons. The thimble collection came from my mom , some from my gram and those that have been gifted to me. My button collection is scattered all about. Buttons in jars (color separated) , in tins, and in a box that contains buttons on their original cards. Hard to believe that 8 buttons could be purchased for a nickle!! These collections are legacies of generations gone before and imagine the history that each could tell
Cathy Borneman says
I too love buttons. I like making them also!
Cathy
Fsye Grover says
I inherited buttons from both of my grandma’s. They should be stored in fancy jars, mine are in a boxes in a cupboard. I have to get busy and hunt down jars to display them. I love my buttons, they are part of my memories of my grandmas. Thanks for your post, it inspired me to share my love of this collection with my granddaughters. Maybe someday those buttons will be inherited by one of them.
Miriam Bolton says
I have my mother’s button collection which I’ve added to. Years ago I had a neighbor who loved to organize things. I let her sort and tie like buttons together. It was so thoughtful of her but I missed running my hand through the old yellow plastic pail of buttons. It’s a unique sensory activity. I love your drawers. That’s a great way to see what you have.
Shellie Freisinger says
I do not have a button collection, but still have the glass Skippy peanut butter jar full of extra buttons that was my mothers.
Denise Fuller says
I remember playing with the buttons in my mother’s sewing basket. I was sad when she stopped sewing and got rid of all her buttons. When I was older, my grandparents were getting ready to move out of the house they had lived in since the Depression and I got the buttons my grandmother had cut off her children’s clothing. About 10 years ago, I was downsizing and offered to sell some buttons to a woman who made jewelry out of them. I still had enough left to fill a chest full of plastic boxes where I have my buttons and threads sorted by color and size.
Ginny says
My friend has buttons by the quarts and in little drawers and all over. She is an amazing artist and uses them to embellish all sorts of thing including wall quilts. She made an awesome one with a bottom for each member of our quilt guild on it. Me, when I need a button I go to her house. We have such fun searching for just the right one.