Tonight our speaker was Janina Dodds from Button Up, and of course, the subject was buttons and their history. How they have been used over the centuries both for decoration and fastenings.










These little black buttons are of the type stitched to Queen Victoria's dresses.








A useful tip for fastening buttons to knitting if you don't want to sew. Thread the button on to a length of fine ribbon, tie a knot, then thread the ribbon through the garment and tie a bow. Your button is now securely fixed and also easily removable for washing or a change of buttons.









Janina also showed how buttons can be used decoratively, as here on a jacket collar, adding interesting detail and colour.