I recently discovered a couple of shops on Etsy. (I’ve never shopped there before).
The first is slowCOLOR.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5861700
“Enjoy these amazing colors of antiquity, natural dyed fibers just as they always were before synthetic dyes were developed in the 1800s. Blues from indigo, purples from logwood, greens from indigo blues over dyed with osage orange, brilliant reds from the coccineal beetles gathered from South American cacti, and many more. The exotic natural dyes and dyeing methods we use result in brilliant and long lasting colors. Over the years colors may gently soften, but will stay true to hue and never become sad and gray. Just like your favorite blue jeans.”
As a reminder,
“Filament or reeled silk is the high-end product, reeled off the cocoon in one long continuous strand.
Spun silk, which is what most embroidery silk is, is a lower-end product made by spinning the shorter fibers left over after the cream of the silk has been reeled off the cocoon.
Silk fibers of this type are spun much as one would spin cotton, wool, or other fibers.
The basic rule for purchased silk is that it’s usually a spun silk unless the label includes one of the special terms for a type of reeled/filament silk.
Reeled silk is peeled off the silk cocoon in a long continuous paired filament; several such paired filaments are grouped together during the reeling, and the resulting string is very fine, extremely strong, and (once degummed) very lustrous……
Period embroideries reveal that a variety of silk types were used, with the untwisted plat[te] and tram being common on the more high-quality embroideries and spun silks on the lower-quality ones. So spun silk is period too, it’s just not as likely to appear on the really good embroideries”
http://lists.eastkingdom.org/mailman/private/thimble/2007-June/001587.html
slowCOLOR sells spun silk – 80 yards for $US3.50.
Edit : On clarification, Carol said
Thanks for the description of the spun and filament silk. Based on this description, my silk is filament and holds together with no twist to speak of, and was described by my supplier as "hand-reeled". You can give me your opinion after you get your hands on it."
The colours are just magnificent – that’s what has really attracted me to this store.
The silk does have slubs in it.
I got the True Blue Indigo
and my very favourite, Irish Setter
They are meant for the silk for the bird that is right in the middle of my sampler :
although whether I use mainly Indigo or Setter ….ooo, I just can’t decide. It’ll be awhile before I get to the bird anyway.
I’ll certainly write about the thread when I embroider/couch with it.
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Another Etsy shop that looks interesting is beckandcallgirl
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5631826§ion_id=5814763
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Carol, from slowCOLOR also pointed me to the Aurora Silk website.
http://www.aurorasilk.com/samples/yarns_and_threads.html
“Natural dyes are dyestuffs made from plants, minerals, and in the case of cochineal, an insect. Here is our selection of the most colour-fast natural dyes available. Cheryl Kolander, who IS Aurora Silk, is the senior Natural Dyer in the world today. 39 years of professional, daily experience with these dyes has taught her the best: “And I only use the best, because my life as an artist is too precious to use anything but the best!”
The dyestuffs below are the “Major Dyes of Commerce”, dyes that have been used by silk and textile artists for thousands of years. They are precious commodities and are increasingly rare. Cheryl is constantly looking for new sources for these dyes, and encouraging increased production of the finest grades of these quality dyes.”
Aurora Silk sells Ahisma Peace Silk, Filament Silk and Spun Silk in 120 naturally dyed colours.
I’ll leave you to explore the site – lots of tutorials and FAQS on silk, yarn and dyes.
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While I’m on the subject of special threads, I found this photo of a Gilt Sylke Twist piece.
Lady Bryn Millar detached buttonholed (is that a verb?) all the colours that were available at the time together. (3 more have come out since – another green, black and brown, I think)
http://picasaweb.google.com/ladybryn/HarpersRetreat#5241434756733076786
I think this piece shows the colours so much better than the pictures of the spools on-line. And such a clever idea!
In a couple of books I have where I’d expect Detached Buttonhole Stitch to be used, Brussels Stitch is used instead for the same purposes.
These include :
- The Barbara and Roy Hirst Raised Embroidery/Stumpwork books
- Elizabethan Needlework Accessories by Sheila Marshall
I wrote to the Historical Needleworkers List and asked why this may be.
The answers (quoted with permission) were :
“I have always thought that the Brussels (Bruxelles) Stitch, the Detached Buttonhole Stitch, and the Venetian Cloth stitch were basically the same stitch, just invented or used in different situations.
Getting from one row to the next is different in Brussels stitch than Detached Buttonhole, because one is doing different things. But my understanding is that the stitches are basically the same stitch.
I would expect that one would identify the stitch as one or the other based on where one had first encountered it.
That is, if one did needlelace before coming to Elizabethan raised work, one would continue to call that stitch a Brussels stitch. So I don't think it strange at all that Sheila Marshall's book identifies it as Brussels Stitch - I bet she has done needlelace.
I suspect that the same stitches have been reinvented many times, for many situations, and that is how stitches get multiple names.”
- Baroness Eowyn Amberdrake
Another answer I got was
“Brussels stitch is a needle lace stitch. The method of working is similar to button hole stitch except in Brussels it is upside down. Instead of the needle coming out at the top through a loop, it comes out the bottom through a loop and those loops are built upon in successive rows in pattern.”
- JoEllen/HighlyUnlikely (that’s her net name, not a comment)
Brussel Stitch also comes Corded (with a Return thread), Double and Treble (ref New Designs in Raised Embroidery, Hirst)
(the second image being Detached Buttonhole Stitch, from Jane Nicholas’ Complete Book of Stumpwork Embroidery”.
The first image is from New Designs in Raised Embroidery by the Hirsts.
Note that with the Brussels Stitch, the thread is wrapped around the outline, rather than the outline being pierced through the ground as is done with Detached Buttonhole Stitch.
I wish I’d recorded the home address, because 4.pb seems to be some low class commentary blog, and I couldn’t find any such thing as an embroidery sampler when I went back and searched.
Anyway, (and I also have no date on this, subsequently) this image does show beautifully the blending of Elizabethan style colours
Edit : ZabaCorporation was kind enough to point out the origin of the image. It is from the "History of Embroidery" blog at http://historyofembroidery.blogspot.com/
The "Samplers" entry shows many Excellent images of samplers from the 17th and 18C centuries - and they are clickable upon to become lovely and large as well.
The first and third black and white plates in Digby had some nice examples of pearls being used to construct flowers.
I had a flick through a couple of books yesterday without finding any more but if I kept looking, I would undoubtedly find many more examples, especially if I went to the Medieval Beads site.
I thought that I’d share the ones I found with you.
Plate 1
The first thing that struck me about this swetebag was the acorns – the base being of padded passing thread (I think – I’m still practising my gold thread identification skills), and the ‘fruit’ being constructed of pearls.
The roses have their foldovers constructed of pearls. Either they are rather large roses, or the pearls are very small. Note the use of pearls in the centre of the rose as well.
There is that strange bulgey thing (perhaps someone knows what it is?) that appears as part of the vine in several places - I marked one with the leftmost arrow. The top arrow on the right is pointing to a bulgey thing constructed of goldwork.
And, in a similiar vein to the pearl ‘flower’ I recently did,
there is a small pearl flower at the bottom centre of the bag, only with the pearls arranged a little differently (a bead centre?) and without the pearl purl.
There is also a leaf constructed entirely of pearls (bottom right most arrow)
Obviously, there is a wacking great carnation in the middle that also incorporates pearls. That would be really pretty done in the right colors.
Plate 2
This isn’t a great picture, and it also seems to feature lizards with wings (I assume they are birds).
I’ve numbered the features in an attempt to make things clearer. It’s a pity that Blogger doesn’t allow a double-clicked enlarged picture plus the blog text showing at the same time (unless you open two windows showing the blog).
It seems that this embroider put pearls on every possible flower on this coif.
1 : Again, a flower similar to the 4 pearl one I constructed, but with little petals extruding from it’s stem (and no purl)
2 : A borage with a couple of pearls running up along it’s spike
3 : A dog rose, with pearls around the centre
4 : Another rose with pearls around the centre
I’ve just spotted a flower with 5 pearls around the outside and one in the middle, slightly left of centre about 7/8ths of the way down
And various other pearl constellations that I can’t identify. Perhaps some grapes?
In my post on Elizabethan Stitches, Jane Zimmerman’s name came up an awful lot.
I value Ms Zimmerman as an embroiderer that has been teaching for 40 years, and, as her career winds down, is continuing to provide information to the Elizabethan, Blackwork and Canvas embroiderer via her new website.
I reviewed her book “Art of Elizabethan Embroidery” at http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.com/2008/04/art-of-elizabethan-embroidery-by-jane-d.html
This is available from her site at http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Needlework_Books_and_CDs.html
It states on the website that she won’t ship overseas, but (being an OS customer) I asked her about this, and she said that she is willing to ship her books overseas as long as the customer is willing to pay the postage.
“Art of Elizabethan Embroidery” has a colour page showing a completed sampler.
Parts of this sampler are then used through out the book as black and white illustrations.
The instructions for the full chart were available from her site recently as a 6 day Christmas special but she has decided to make it available in the longer term (information about the sampler is not currently on her website). Edit 17/1 - the chartpak is now available on her website, under "Instruction Kits"
Her description of the sampler is
“My personal “piece de resistance” of teaching projects is available as a chartpak for the first time – and a very special chartpak. All 25 images used in the instruction booklet are now in full color!
In was during the second half of the 16th Century that Tudor needlework “burst into flower”. Barbara Snook, English needlework teacher and author, wrote that it was during Elizabethan England that garden and country flowers…appeared on coifs and bodices, on tunics and skirts, on collars and dresses, on men’s indoor hats and upon gloves. They flowed over bedspreads and long pillow covers and over cushions, not in any riotous abandon, but with great vigour and variety in treatment, exquisite treatment and sensitive drawing….I have always been fascinated by Elizabethan embroidery history, this whimsical design of 16th century domestic linen work being a culmination of years of study.
The project is executed on closeweave linen in polychrome silk floss and gold metal threads and paillettes, using 20 surface embroidery stitch variations and techniques, some obsolete for over 300 years. The stitches include the elusive plaited braid stitch in addition to open Ceylon, heavy chain and many variations of detached buttonhole.”
$45 + $5 S&H
You can contact Jane re the chartpak at jane@janezimmerman.com
as it is only available at special request, not generally through her website.
This is an opportunity to do Metal Thread Double Detached Buttonhole on Silk Thread, or one of the other variations of Detached Buttonhole that I mention as listed by Ms Zimmerman in my Ellizabethan Stitches post and my book review post under instruction. And also to see the individual elements in better detail, being in colour in the chartpak.
Ms Zimmerman does ask her customers to note that she is not often at the post office so it may take some weeks to receive an order.
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I have recently bought one of her 3-in-1 CDs – 3 books in one.
- The Art of English Blackwork
- The Greater Tudor Era 1585-1625
- The Art of Stumpwork
These are described in greater detail at http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Needlework_CDs.html
The individual books have sold out but you can still get them as the 3in1 while stocks remain.
I’m looking forward to them eagerly. You can zoom in 300%!
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I can’t finish my look at what Ms Zimmerman offers regarding Elizabethan education without mentioning the educational material she offers on her site.
Under “Stitches and Techniques” http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Techniques_and_Stitches.html she is regularly adding information on Needlework Techniques .
She already has two papers on Or Nue, which I found very informative and I’m looking forward to :
CHAPTER 3 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Embroidery, Part I
General - Handling Japanese Metal, Smooth Passing and Fine Braid
CHAPTER 4 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thead Embroidery, Part II
Solid Filling with Japanese Metal, Smooth Passing and Fine Braid
CHAPTER 5 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Emboidery, Part III
Novelty Solid Filling with Japanese Metal, Smooth Passing and Fine Braid
CHAPTER 6 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Embroidery, Part IV
General - Handling Twist, Crinkle, Purl and Plate
CHAPTER 7 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Embroidery, Part V
General - Techniques of Raised Work
and also Needle Stitch Variations (which is on canvas work – her other big interest, although I don’t know a thing about it.)
At http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Needlework_History.html
she has
(1) The Medieval Embroidery Technique of Or Nuè
(2) English Medieval Embroidery
(3) The Art of English Blackwork
(4) Elizabethan Era, Part One
(5) Elizabethan Era, Part Two (Costume)
(6) Elizabethan Era, Part Three (Household Furnishing)
(7) The Art of English Canvas Embroidery
(8) The Art of Stumpwork
(9) The Golden Age of Samplers
(10) 18th Century English Embroidery
(11) Eastern Embroidery
The underlined papers are the ones that are currently available.
All of these papers are in PDF format, for free.
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There’s more on the site, including cyberclasses - but you can look yourself, – her home page is http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/index.html
(Picture from her instruction kit)
Jeanne of Just String is sharing with us her wealth of knowledge of Elizabethan Stitches and doing a series of Stitch Studies.
See http://juststring.blogspot.com/search/label/stitch%20studies
for 3 posts (so far) on Detached Buttonhole, with details I've never found anywhere else. She has started from the basics -
- Detached Buttonhole
- Detached Buttonhole for Shapes
- Detached Buttonhole with Return
The posts are very clear, and with lots of photos.
Also, she'd done a really good post on Spiral Trellis Stitch at
http://juststring.blogspot.com/2008/06/spiral-trellis-stitch.html before she decided to launch into a more formal series of studies.
She's a little busy at the moment gestating, but I certainly look forward to more Stitch Studies in the future.
I was reading a book a couple of days ago, and noticed something funny. I compared it to my other books.
It's about embroidering the second and consecutive lines in Long and Short stitch.
The first line is staggered to two lengths - that's a given.
"(on the second and consecutive rows) you need to remember to stagger the length of the stitches at both ends"
- "Beginner's Guide to Silk Shading" by Clare Hanham
"Although these stitches (on the second and consecutive rows) are worked in long stitch only, vary their lengths slightly to give a soft uneven line, not a straight one"
- "Redoubte's Finest Flowers in Embroidery" by Trish Burr
- "Beginner's Guide to Goldwork" by Ruth Chamberlain
(I put in the whole paragraph because I couldn't find a single brief statement)
So it looks like those rows can be done in different ways.
I published this post awhile ago, but there were a lot of formatting problems because I copied the headings and links from my Word documents.
Having discovered Windows Live Writer, I can re-write this post, properly formatted (it was annoying me *grin*)…..
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I'm picking the eyes out of "Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving" by Grace Christie (aka Mrs Archibald Christie
"The drawings illustrating design and the practical application of stitches have been taken almost without exception from actual Embroidery or Tapestry; the exceptions, where it has been impossible to consult originals, from photographic representations obtained from various sources, among which the collection of M. Louis de Farcy should be mentioned."
and the embroideries and tapestries she was looking at are almost 14-17th Century.
It's at http://tinyurl.com/3bbgcm
Mary of www.NeedleNThread.com reviews the book at http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/01/great-online-embroidery-book.html
There are a couple of links to the Gutenburg project - I've found the one given above the best for on-line perusal.
Mrs Christie goes through a great variety of stitches and for many, she provides construction details and (black and white drawn) pictures of various flowers and leaves using that particular stitch, that she's taken from those old embroideries.
I intend to use some of these in my sampler project, so I'm gathering them together.
I just found a really good paragraph of information on Slips, in her Applique Work section.
" To return to the discussion of applied embroidery—let us suppose the embroidered piece to be just completed on its linen ground, still stretched in the frame in which it was worked.In another frame, stretch the background material and trace upon it the exact outline of the piece to be applied.
Cut out the embroidered piece carefully round the edge, allowing about one-sixteenth of an inch margin outside the worked part, leaving, if necessary, little connecting ties of material here and there for temporary support.
With fine steel pins or needles fix the cut-out work exactly over the tracing already made on the ground material, then make it secure round the edge with rather close stitches of silk placed at right-angles to the outline; with fine materials the raw edge of the applied part can be neatly tucked under and fixed in place by this overcast stitch.
A cord is next sewn on to hide the fixing and give a finish to the edge.
The colour of this cord is important, since its colour may increase the expanse of either the applied part or the ground.
Sometimes a double cord is put round, and in this case the inner one is attached to the embroidery before it is cut out of the frame, and the second attached afterwards.
The inner one is often of a colour predominating in the embroidery, and the outer one of the colour of the ground.
Gold cord is very usual; if a coloured silk one is used it must be a perfect match.
The ordinary twisted cord looks best attached invisibly; to do this, slightly untwist it whilst stitching, and insert the needle in the opening thus formed.
Some kinds of flat braids look well with the fixing stitches taken deliberately over them and forming part of the ornamentation (see fig. 91).
Bunches of silk are sometimes couched round with a buttonhole or other stitch, but whatever the outline may consist of, it should be a firm bold line.
Even more than simpler work applied embroidery needs the finish of some light work upon the ground. Gold threads and spangles, arranged in fashion similar to the sprays in fig. 112, are very often used. Sometimes, instead of this, some small pattern in outline is run all over the ground in order to enrich it."
There is more to be read in the section, including the fact that the slips were sometimes slightly stuffed, to give them a rise.
I want to do a slip in my sampler, hence my interest. I haven't read this particular information about slips before.
My collection of slips links are :
Project : A Small Panel of Slips
by Lady Kateryn Rous
http://livingpast.com/sca/item2.html
see http://livingpast.com/sca/canhand.pdf for notes on more information on Elizabethan canvaswork.
Also http://www.geocities.com/souriete/ElizaCanvasEmbr.html
Late 16th / Early 17th Century Embroidery “Slips”
Elizabethan and Stuart Embroidery
http://www.victoriana.com/shops/andrews/slips.htm
Part II - Late 16th / Early 17th Century Embroidery “Slips”
Elizabethan and Stuart Embroidery II
by Meg Andrews
http://www.meg-andrews.com/articles/slips.php
Elizabethan Slips
by Jane Stockton
http://needleprayse.webcon.net.au/research/index.html
Some Additional Useful Notes
http://flickrembroidery.blogspot.com/search?q=historical
http://laren.blogspot.com/search/label/Elizabethan
Flickr of Slips Progression
of Jane Stockton’s Work with Slips
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jane_stockton/sets/72157602775022881/
Plimouth Embroider's Story had an intriguing paragraph today at http://www.plimoth.org/embroidery-blog/2008/05/29/spin-span-spun/
"Ah, another instance of S and Z.
In embroidery, we see the S and Z as the differentiation between the Stem Stitch and the Outline Stitch.
Depending on the direction you make your stitch it creates a twisted border that makes an “S” or a “Z”.
I can never remember which is which, but I believe the “S”tem stitch makes the S and the Outline stitch makes the Z.
In practice, most people interchange them without differentiation- but technically there is a difference. "
I was after something that explained this to me in simpler terms. I talked to Mary Corbet of NeedlenThread and I also went on a Google Hunt. I thought I'd find out more about S and Z twist while I was there. Who knew it mattered in *practical* terms ?!!?
- From the wikipedia article on Yarn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn
- From :
http://www.needlepoint.org/Archives/01-10/brazilian.php
"One fact we should take into consideration is the twist of the fibers we plan to use.
This is important in the success of the wraps required in some of the stitches. Brazilian rayons and some silks have a counter-clockwise or "Z" twist, while most other yarns, threads and flosses have an "S", twist.
It is very important to be able to recognize this twist because if the wrap goes against the built-in twist, the fiber components will separate as it is wrapped.
One way to identify the twist direction, after ascertaining the grain, is to take the fiber in the left hand between the thumb and index finger.
Twist the fiber.
If the twist tightens when rolled to the right, it is an "S"- twist.
If the twist tightens when rolled to the left, it is a "Z"' twist."
(also from this article)........Almost every one has tried a bullion, a very old stitch dating from Biblical times.
Don't forget the twist. A right-handed stitcher, using a "Z" twist will wrap toward the body and away from the body if using an "S" twist. The left-handed stitcher will do the opposite
The article also mentions consideration of the thread twist in doing French Knots (and other Brazilian stitches)
- Bullion Knots http://heritageshoppe.com/heritage/stitches/bullion.html
- An article that talks about the point Plimouth raised about Stem/Outline stitch is
(and I really like the entire article on stem/outline stitch and it's different approaches and use depending on the approach used).
- Another interesting article I found on the way was on the Grain of embroidery thread - http://www.heritageshoppe.com/heritage/essays/threadgrain.html
Note from this :-
"Embroidery floss is normally S-Twist. One exception is rayon threads, which are Z-twist."
I've also read that Brazilian threads are normally Z-twist.
From http://heritageshoppe.com/heritage/stitches/bullion.html
"Sewing thread, some silk threads and rayon threads are all Z twist.
Cotton floss, cordonnet, pearls and other cotton needlework threads are S twist."
- I also have a feeling that, (in the case of S twist, which is all I've ever used) left handed embroiderers have their thread tending to untwist, whilst right handers have their thread twist tighter, as the needle twists slightly each time it goes through the canvas. (And this is why they need to let their needles dangle and spin, to untwist the thread.)
- and lastly, the mystery of why I found most of this information at http://heritageshoppe.com
For Historical Embroiderers :
Three Scottish Embroideries, by Helen Bennett
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_107/107_330_332.pdf
"Since 1973 the Museum has purchased three major examples of 16th- and 17th-century
embroidery......"
There's two nice detail pictures of the work in question.
I wish the other plates were clearer - the third one, with the range of stitches, sounds really interesting.
Historical embroiderers may well be interested in having a look at
http://coraginsburg.com/catalogues/2005/CostumeTextilesCatalogue2005.pdf
and
http://coraginsburg.com/catalogues/2006/CostumeTextilesCatalogue2006.pdf
if they are not already familiar with them.
SharonB has just created a community (a "Ning" community, erm) called "Stitchin' Fingers - where it is possible for people to just pop up a photo of their work, without going to the bother of Flickr or a blog or whatever.
I know that I get comments from people whose work I'd love to see - perhaps you'd like to get involved in this?
http://sharonb.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/my-new-online-group-for-textile-folks/
explains it all - it's meant as a whole community
The great Peakay, of BiblioOddesey has been busy.
http://del.icio.us/BibliOdyssey/illuminated
and
http://del.icio.us/peacay/illuminated_manuscripts
She's also put out a book!
http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/10/bibliodyssey-book.html
Mary C (NeedlenThread) just said something important to me. She thought I might have had problems with those leaves because I did the darker colours before the light.
That doing the lighter colours then blending over the dark works much better
Light, then dark
Light, then dark
Trish Burr said to work down from a certain part, but I worked up, just because it was easier for me physically and I didn't know any reason not to.
Light, then dark.
I've spent the last few hours researching hand made buttons, since I intend to make some, and come up with some links.
I thought that I'd share them. The formatting is bound to come out a bit funny because I'm copying and pasting from a heavily formatted Word doc.
I used
Making Buttons created and maintained by Cathy Snell. 9/17/03
http://www.employees.org/~cathy/buttons.html
as a basis as it was the most thorough paper I found.
It has lots of different methods listed and some very interesting variations described, based on those basic methods, and lots of photos.
I found some more instructions, alternative instructions, a few more pictures (modern ones only - sigh) - whatever contributed to the subject ....
Cloth Buttons
http://garb4guys.blogspot.com/2007/07/buttoning-up-part-one.html has step by step photos for a stuffed button, as well as http://home.comcast.net/~beweave1/medievaltailor/demosButtons.html
http://clanwolfhaven.com/cecilias_workshop/cecilias_classes/Recreating_Period_Button1.pdf
also described making a stuffed cloth ball button
Embroidered Buttons
http://flickrembroidery.blogspot.com/2007/06/embroidered-buttons.html
Wrapped Buttons
a modern picture at http://www.vertetsable.com/store/store_sundries.htm
http://www.clanwolfhaven.com/cecilias_workshop/buttons.html
More complete instructions at http://www.reddawn.net/costume/buttons.htm
including adding a bit of gold thread around them as an extra wrap and at
http://www.clanwolfhaven.com/cecilias_workshop/buttons.html
“An Elizabethan Button” - http://www.sca.org.au/tailors/eliz_button.html
I was surprised that I couldn't find more on these.
Death's Head button
A modern picture at
The link in Cathy's doc on how to make them works *grin*
A modern pic at
http://www.clanwolfhaven.com/cecilias_workshop/buttons.html
and a fuzzy one at http://myhiddenstash.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html
and thorough instructions at http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_buttons.htm
including some extra variations and at http://garb4guys.blogspot.com/2008/02/buttoning-up-part-two.html
and lastly, although later in period
Corded, Faceted and Basketweave Buttons
http://garb4guys.blogspot.com/2008/02/buttoning-up-part-two.html
Dorset Thread Buttons
http://etsylabs.blogspot.com/2007/05/make-your-own-damn-buttons.html
and
http://homeofthesampler.com/howtos/craftypod.html
Finishing Buttons
http://garb4guys.blogspot.com/2008/02/buttoning-up-part-two.html
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