A small flat button

Metal, plastic, and leather shank buttons.

In clothing and fashion design, a button is a small plastic or metal disc- or knob-shaped, typically round, object usually attached to an article of clothing in order to secure an opening, or for ornamentation. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather Fashion design is the Applied art dedicated to Clothing and lifestyle Accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather Fashion refers to styles of dress (but can also include cuisine literature art architecture and general comportment that are popular in a culture at any given time Functional buttons work by slipping the button through a fabric or thread loop, or by sliding the button through a reinforced slit called a buttonhole. Buttonholes are holes in fabric that are paired with functional Buttons (as opposed to decorative buttons that serve as Fasteners Buttonholes may be either made by

Buttons may be manufactured from an extremely wide range of materials, including natural materials such as antler, bone, horn, ivory, shell, vegetable ivory, and wood; or synthetics such as celluloid, glass, metal, bakelite and plastic. Materials are physical Substances used as inputs to production or Manufacturing. Antlers are the usually large and complex horn -like appendages of most Deer species mostly worn by males only for some species such as Caribou by both Bones are rigid organs that form part of the Endoskeleton of Vertebrates They function to move support and protect the various organs of the body produce A horn is a pointed projection of the Skin on the head of various Mammals consisting of a covering of horn ( Keratin and other Proteins Ivory is formed from Dentine and constitutes the bulk of the Teeth and Tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, A seashell, also known as a sea shell, is the Common name for a hard protective outer layer a shell or in some cases a " test " that was created Vegetable ivory, also known as corozo is a name used for the Tagua nut in the South American Rainforest. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from Nitrocellulose and Camphor, plus dyes and other agents Glass in the common sense refers to a Hard, Brittle, transparent Solid, such as that used for Windows many The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across Bakelite (ˈbеɪkɨlaɪt is a material based on the thermosetting Phenol formaldehyde resin polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride developed in 1907–1909 by Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products

Hard plastic is by far the most common material for newly manufactured buttons; the other materials tend to occur only in premium apparel.

History

Buttons and button-like objects used as ornaments rather than fasteners have been discovered in the ancient Indus Valley during its Kot Dijy phase (circa 2800-2600 BC) and Bronze Age sites in China (circa 2000-1500 BC), and are attested in Ancient Rome. The Indus Valley Civilization (Mature period 2600&ndash1900 BCE abbreviated IVC, was an ancient Civilization that flourished in the Indus River basin The 28th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2800 BC to 2701 BC The 26th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2600 BC to 2501 BC The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era The 20th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2000 BC to 1901 BC Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC

Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothing appeared first in Germany in the 13th century. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ^[1] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.

Types of buttons

Three sew-through buttons (left) and one shank covered button (right).

• Shank buttons have a small ring or a bar with a hole called the shank protruding from the back of the button, through which thread is sewn to attach the button. A shank is a device for providing a small amount of space in between a garment and a button A shank is a device for providing a small amount of space in between a garment and a button
• Covered buttons are fabric-covered forms with a separate back piece that secures the fabric over the knob.
• Flat or sew-through buttons have two or four holes punched through the button through which the thread is sewn to attach the button. Flat buttons may be attached by sewing machine rather than by hand, and may be used with heavy fabrics by working a thread shank to extend the height of the button above the fabric. A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch Fabric or other material together with Thread. A shank is a device for providing a small amount of space in between a garment and a button
• Worked or cloth buttons are created by embroidering or crocheting tight stitches (usually with linen thread) over a knob or ring called a form. Embroidery is the Art or Handicraft of decorating fabric or other Materials with designs stitched in strands of thread or Crochet (kroʊˈʃeɪ is a process of creating fabric from Yarn or thread using a Crochet hook. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. This article is about the fiber product For the type of joke see Shaggy dog story.
• Mandarin buttons or Frogs are knobs made of intricately knotted strings. A frog (sometimes referred to as a Chinese frog) is an Ornamental Braiding for fastening the front of a garment that consists of a Button and Mandarin buttons are a key element in Mandarin dress (Qi Pao and cheongsam in Chinese), where they are closed with loops. The cheongsam is a body-hugging (modified in Shanghai) one-piece Chinese Dress for women The cheongsam is a body-hugging (modified in Shanghai) one-piece Chinese Dress for women The cheongsam is a body-hugging (modified in Shanghai) one-piece Chinese Dress for women Pairs of mandarin buttons worn as cuff links are called silk knots. A cufflink (also cuff link or cuff-link) is a decorative fastener worn by men or women to fasten the two sides of the Cuff on a Dress shirt

Button sizes

The size of the button depends on its use. Shirt buttons are generally small, and spaced close together, whereas coat buttons are larger and spaced further apart. Buttons are commonly measured in lignes (also called lines and abbreviated L), with 40 lignes equal to 1 inch. For the French river of the same name see River Ligne. The ligne (from the French word meaning " Line " For example, some standard sizes of buttons are 16 lignes (10. 16 mm, standard button of men's shirts) and 32 lignes (20. A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body Originally an item of underwear worn exclusively by men it has become in American English a catch-all term for 32 mm, typical button on suit jackets). The man's suit of clothes is a set of garments which are crafted from the same cloth

Buttonholes

Machine-stitched keyhole buttonhole with bar

Main article: buttonhole

Functional buttons (as opposed to decorative buttons) are normally paired with a buttonhole. Buttonholes are holes in fabric that are paired with functional Buttons (as opposed to decorative buttons that serve as Fasteners Buttonholes may be either made by Alternately, a decorative loop of cloth or rope may replace the buttonhole. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. A rope is a length of Fibers twisted or Braided together to improve strength for pulling and Connecting. Buttonholes may be either made by hand sewing or automated by a sewing machine. A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch Fabric or other material together with Thread.

Buttonholes often have a bar at either end. This is a row of perpendicular hand or machine stitching to reinforce the ends of a buttonhole.

See also

• Snap fastener
• Zipper

References

• Carl Kohler, A History of Costume, Dover 1963 reprint, ISBN 0-486-21030-8
• Bryan Bunch, The History of Science and Technology, Houghton Mifflin Books, 2004 ISBN 0-618-22123-9

External links

• Worked button making in Dorset
• Types of Buttons
• Button seal
• Button-making in Birmingham, England in the 1800s
• Online button museum