Vintage buckles

You know that I'm into buckles as much as buttons. Nowadays they do not cause such a sensation as before. And no wonder. In the past they were so elaborate, so big, so colourful that you could not ignore them. Now buckles seem to have to blend with the rest of the outfit rather than stand out. That's why I absolutely love vintage buckles!

How to choose the right buttons for your garment

Although this may sound rather straightforward to some, choosing what button to use with your garment may be a difficult decision. Whether you are swapping them on a purchased garment, or one you are making yourself, there are a few things you should bear in mind. Especially, if, like me, you love vintage buttons and wish to use some of those (like from your granny's box).

To start with, it is important to remember, that the size of the button counts in its diameter, as well as it thickness. Then, there are flat, or sew-through buttons and buttons with shanks. The latter can be very beautiful, but cannot be machine-sewn. Obviously, there are lots of different materials to choose from, and finally, the finish, as some buttons may have rough surface and turn out unsuitable for certain fabrics.

How to clean vintage buttons

After the first thrilling moment of opening a box of vintage buttons and discovering some really unique pieces, we are faced with a problem of how to clean the buttons without destroying their unique qualities like colour, details or even the whole design.

   

How to (still) get found on Esty

Anyone wondering how to improve the search result for a shop on etsy has found that there are more questions than answers. We all need to get found in search to be able to sell. And with the recent changes, which appear to be happening all the time, I bet SEO is a hard nut on etsy these days. Needless to say that Google uses completely different algorithms. I must say my shops are both enjoying a constant flow of new customers, and some repeated ones as well and I have decided to share a few thought on Etsy SEO. I am aware it works a bit differently for different sectors, but there are a few things that will definitely work

Plexi glass / Lucite buttons - Glass imitation from early 20th century

There were a lot of kinds of early plastics, as experiments with synthetic materials continued. Plexi glass was an attempt to imitate glass, both transparent and opaque.

Sticky button cards

Throughout the whole 20th century buttons were displayed and distributed on button cards. I have some lovely Art Deco cards from 1930s, but also some more modern ones from 1960s. The buttons were usually sewn to the cards. I once met a woman who was delighted to see my button cards because they reminded her of her youth: she used to live in Paris, where she sewed the buttons to the cards for a large fashion firm.

Anyway, somewhere around 1950s-1960s someone had one of those 'brilliant' ideas to make things easier and instead of sewing - glue the buttons to the cards, usually using an adhesive tape. I saw this method used all through the 1970s and 1980s!!

Apparently, this looks easier. You spent much less time attatching the buttons to the display and if you rip them off, you do not let the rest of the buttons loose (which was the case of sewn cards).

Swapping buttons - winter coat makover

Have you ever owned one of those? Sad black coat, with little character or decoration? You probably still do, beacuse they seem to be universal, but in the end, they just make a silent existence in our wardrobes. I decided to give mine a new life.

As you can see, it is a classic short coat, with a hood, double breasted and with a belt. The buttons are really unexciting and just make it more classic. I bought it in times when I would go everywhere on a bicycle, so I needed something short but warm.