Henry's Buttons
Henry's Buttons is based near Shaftesbury Dorset. The birth place of the Dorset Button industry in the 1600s.
henrysbuttons@aol.com
www.henrysbuttons.co.uk
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Buttons made to order
Contact Henry's Buttons for details.
Buy Dorset Buttons
at Gold Hill Museum, Shaftesbury
and
The Cygnet - Art and Crafts Centre
Swans Yard, Shaftesbury
Dorset Button workshops and talks
To book a trainer for your Dorset Buttons Workshop contact Henry's Buttons
Links
The Buttons Society.
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| A selection of recently worked buttons by Anna McDowell | |
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The Dorset Button industry was started in Shaftesbury in the 1620s and became a major cottage industry in Dorset creating employment and income for many families. By the 1780s, around 4,000 women and children were employed making buttons. The industry came to an end after the introduction of a button making machine in the 1800s.
Henry’s Buttons was formed to help save this heritage skill and create better understanding of the Dorset Button industry by acting as a focus.
Dorset Button threads and rings
I am constantly asked which thread to use with which rings.
I am always reluctant to give a definitive answer as this is up to the individual buttoner and their preferences. However, my individual preferences are to use a #20 weight thread when using a 19mm ring. If using one of the much finer hand made .8mm thickness rings I find anything from a #50 weight gives a lovely finish.
The original linen thread was around #70 to #80 weight and I'm currently trying to find a fine linen thread to try my hand at emulating the original buttons.
I have worked buttons using a two ply Alpaca wool on a 32mm hollow brass ring which was delicious!
Over the next few month I will be compiling an information sheet with images of buttons worked in different threads and will be uploading it to this website when completed.
If you would like to share your preferences please contact me with your comments.
Henry's Buttons Dorset Button E-Newsletter is a forum for including many diverse uses of Dorset Buttons to demonstrate how these buttons can be used other than as a fastening. I am always looking for information, stories and photographs of Dorset Buttony to include in my E-Newsletter and your help would be much appreciated. If you would like to share your stories, images and any anecdotes, please email them to Henry’s Buttons E-Newsletter. If you would like to receive a copy of this E-Newsletter, just send your information to Add me to your E-Newsletter list.
New Dorset Button Workshop for High Top
High Tops and Dorset Knobs were the first of a number of different types of Dorset Buttons dating back to the 1600s. It is said that High Tops were used on men's hunting coats. Like many cottage industry crafts and skills, the exact method of making these buttons has been lost in time. Dedicated researchers have discovered from dismantling an original button how they were assembled and the materials used. Using this information and the results of her own research and experiments, Anna McDowell has designed a workshop on these intricate thread buttons designed to show how they were made and used. It will also to give you the opportunity to try your hand at making these buttons using contemporary materials.
