different dorset buttons
Singletons
A piece of fabric is wrapped around a disc and a small amount of sheep’s wool stuffing. The edge is secured neatly with running stitch. Sometimes a pattern or beads are added in the centre of the button.
High Tops and Dorset Knobs
A small piece of fabric is dipped into a mix of 15g flour to 50ml water and left to set in a mould overnight, sitting on a base such as a sequin. A blanket stitch ‘stocking’ is created over the top, working from the bottom up. Dorset Knobs are more squat.
Cartwheels and Blandford Crosswheels
Thread spokes are created within a wire or brass ring. The challenge is getting the spokes equidistant so they cross in the middle. The centre point of the ring can then be positioned.
Birdseyes and Mites
A small piece of fabric is wound into a circle and then blanket stitched around to create a plump, solid doughnut shape. If the gap in the centre was too wide, button makers would embroider across the middle.
blanket stitching around fabric. Each design carries the same intricately woven and tactile qualities that make them instantly recognisable. Although exact figures are unknown, the number of people employed making the buttons must have been significant. “A petition in the 1670s said that workers in Dorsetshire would be put out of business if buttons were to be imported from the continent,” says Anna. Despite the passing of an Act in 1699 that banned the making of buttons “made from cloth… or other stuffs” in favour of foreign trade, the Case legacy somehow continued to grow. Abraham’s grandson Peter took over the business in the first half of the 1730s, and by the late 1770s, approximately 4,000 women worked for the firm. Many of these would work from home; others may have been employed in the workhouse. “Farmers struggled to find women to help with the harvest because making buttons paid more,” says Anna. But in 1812, the production of the first machine to make fabric-covered buttons, sent the craft into slow decline.
Keeping the art alive
The skills continued to be handed down, however, and today a county-wide button-making network still exists. Anna discovered the craft in 2007. “I was chair of the Gold Hill Museum in Shaftesbury and wanted to create an exhibition based around the Dorset buttons we had in our collection,” she says. “There was a ‘make your own’ craft kit in the gift shop. I gave it a go and was hooked.” A search for a local tutor to lead a series of button-making workshops at the museum two years later led her to fellow Dorset buttoner Joan Nicholls. From her, Anna learned basic techniques, such as how to centre the spokes of a Cartwheel, the art of creating a neat finish and what it takes to cast off. Her own expertise grew through practice and experimentation. “That’s the beauty of buttons; they’re small so they don’t have to take long to make,” she says.
“There’s something in her patient eyes, As in and out her needle flies, Which seems to tell the joy she takes In every little stitch she makes.” Edgar Albert Guest, ‘When Mother’s Sewing Buttons On’
The buttons range from as small as 5mm to 19mm. Her passion for reviving the craft grew. “I realised how important Dorset buttons were in shaping the livelihoods of ordinary people living in the county,” she says. “But they had become locked away as a home craft, as opposed to being celebrated for the artworks that they are. A friend gave me a bag of threads, and I had my own collection of vintage threads. These buttons seemed to lend themselves perfectly to showing them all off.”
A successful enterprise
Today, Anna sells her creations at local markets and a gallery in Shaftesbury, and she also runs workshops. She is also regularly commissioned by individuals and producers of period dramas. “I made all the buttons for the 2015 film remake of Far from the Madding Crowd,” she says. “That was a challenge because the colours had to be just right.” For historic work, she refers to her own collection of 100 original buttons which includes all four designs. Some of these are still presented on their colour-graded card. “All buttons would come to a central point, the exact location now unknown, to be scored on their finish and the quality of the fabric,” she says. “They would then be displayed on coloured card for selling. Pink was the best, then black or blue and finally, yellow.
Some of the buttons in my collection date back to the first half of the 1800s, if not earlier. The craftsmanship is quite astounding.” Anna draws out a bulging file from between boxes of thread, fabric remnants and cast-off buttons. This is her record of every button she has made, the number of which runs to thousands. When commissioned, she always makes one extra. And, although the pages are filled with buttons like those in her collection of originals, many reflect her desire to experiment. “I like to give the traditional Dorset button a modern twist,” she says, turning to a page of plump candy-coloured Birdseyes. Next is a red, yellow and white Cartwheel, inspired by the colours of the Dorset Cross flag. This button is followed by a series of Singletons made using fabric from OK David, who has designed for Liberty. “But even though I’m having fun with the yarns and fabrics, and my creations look more current, the techniques I use remain true to the tradition. My aim is to keep the Dorset button heritage craft alive in today’s environment.” As well as the standard-sized buttons, Anna now produces large scale ones, designed to be hung on a wall. Her biggest to date is 24in (61cm), which took seven months to plan and two weeks to make. She also makes fashion accessories, including dangling button-based earrings. “I get my ideas from everything around me,” she says, starting to unravel a ball of multi-coloured yarn. “This one has pom-poms sewn along it; imagine that on a button?” The bigger the button, the thicker the thread or fabric that is used, as shown by a mosaic-like cream, black and coral cartwheel, dotted with beads, that is proudly on display. “There really are no rules for the materials you can use when it comes to making buttons,” says Anna. “That’s what makes it fun. Each piece can be completely unique to you.” She holds a finished button against a jacket; something once so everyday, now extraordinary. “If I can inspire someone to continue making these buttons, then I’m thrilled,” she says. “I want people to go to town with their buttons; make them a focal point and bringer of joy.”