Pinettes

Finally! People are seeing the light. 

Button appreciation is catching on and collecting them is not just the eccentric hobby 

of the odd lady next door anymore.

Recently we were asked to speak to a group of women about button collecting. They were an engaged bunch and had many questions about the cards of buttons being passed around 

as we gave brief descriptions (and tried to avoid fanatical evangelizing about the virtues) 

of the many varieties in our collection.

These bright and cheery "housedress buttons" usually made in Germany or Western Germany from the 1940s to 60s, while not so old or rare, are among our favorites .

The women in the group, being of an age that they might actually have worn some of this kind of  buttons, could possibly answer a question that had occurred to us. In an era of wringer washing machines how did one launder clothes adorned with these fragile beauties without breaking some every time?  The ladies confirmed our hunch that those garments were either hand wrung after gentle washing or the buttons were removed before washing and then sewn on again. What a lot of work!

Shortly after that very successful talk, while sorting through a box of assorted vintage sewing items picked up at an estate sale, we discovered Pinettes. The ladies hadn't mentioned this clever button saving-device, but probably would have remembered with a little jog to their collective memories. 

We'll add this little prop to our next button gig (oh yes, at least three Lutheran women's circles and homemaker clubs have inquired about dates) and see if that leads to other button stories that add to our knowledge of the wonderful world of buttons past and present.