Give a Dorset buttons needlework project a go
We're always on the lookout for a new craft project to try – and the Dorset button is such a cute needlework project that crafters will love.
If you love embroidery or cross stitch, learning how to make a Dorset button could become your next craft obsession!
What is a Dorset button?
The Dorset button is a handmade, intricate thread button, traditionally made for items of clothing. The craft began in Dorset in the 1600s and originally the rings were made from ram horn disks – it wasn't until the 1700s that metal rings were introduced.
It was a popular cottage industry with women, who could make the buttons while taking care of children. An experienced button maker could make up to 72 buttons a day, according to Dorset button expert Gini's Dorset Buttons.
However, in 1851 John Aston exhibited his button machine at the Great Exhibition – and from this moment on, the Dorset button industry went into decline.
Today, the Dorset button is considered a heritage craft, and are made by needlework lovers for their own enjoyment, rather than as part of an industry.
What a Dorset buttons used for?
One of the crafters who loves making Dorset buttons today is Anna McDowell, who runs shop Henry's Buttons, has been making Dorset buttons for nearly 15 years. She first began making Dorset buttons in 2010, and since then estimates she's made thousands of the tiny decorations.
Anna has even made Dorset buttons for films. She created every button on Carey Mulligan's costumes in the 2015 blockbuster version of Far From the Madding Crowd.
Anna says that although still used as a functioning button on clothing, nowadays Dorset buttons are also used more decoratively, on jewellery like earrings and necklaces.
They can even be used as wall art – Anna says she once spent two months creating a 90cm-wide Dorset button to be hung on the wall as art.
Anna thinks her favourite Dorset button she's made was one featuring strips of fabric in duck egg and pink. Dorset buttons also feature Catherine wheels, trees, and other colourful designs.
How do you make a Dorset button?
Although usually so small, many crafters find Dorset buttons really satisfying to make. Anna says: "I love working in the round, I find it very therapeutic."
The basic Dorset button involves wrapping thread around a metal or wooden ring, plus fabric to add more intricate designs to the centre of the button.
Anna says the key to getting started with making Dorset buttons is not to be put off after your first attempt. She says: "Just have a go. Don't be put off if your first button doesn't work out as you'd hoped.
"For lots of people, it's when you make your second button that the technique clicks."
Do you make Dorset buttons? Share your creations with us by tagging @primamag in your pictures on Instagram!
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