Hello!
I get a lot of questions about how I made
the buttons for this coat, so I thought I'd
try making a video of it.
I learned mostly from this booklet which I
bought from Burnley &Trowbridge.
Gina Barrett also has a video on it which
I will link somewhere.
I'll start with just a plain one coloured
button, and then the 2 coloured ones I used
on my coat, and then the tiny little ones
on this waistcoat, and then these 6 sectioned
ones with 4 different colours.
(Upbeat instrumental music)
Death's head buttons are made of thread wrapped
around a mould, which is usually made of wood,
bone, or horn.
They were very popular in the 18th century
on men's clothing, and to a lesser extent
on women's.
I don't know when exactly they first appeared,
and there are a lot of different styles of
thread button that came before them, but you
see small ones made of metallic thread pretty
early in the 18th century.
By the middle of the century they're frequently
seen on coats and waistcoats, either matching
or contrasting with the fabric.
They're easy to spot in portraits because
the light shining on the threads makes this
neat little hourglass shape.
In the 1780's and 90's coat buttons got a
lot bigger and more exciting.
Stripes became very popular and so did multicoloured
buttons to match them.
Some have 4 sections, some have 6, and some
even have 8.
Little multicoloured ones for waistcoats are
also quite popular around this time.
If you're wondering where the name Death's
Head Button came from, the answer is, I don't
know.
As far as I'm aware, nobody knows.
There's a theory that it may be because the
X between the 4 sections resembles the crossbones
in a skull & crossbones, but honestly I don't
really see it.
Which is perhaps why a while ago when I was
talking to a friend about this I completely
misremembered, and thought that it was because
of the hourglass shape and how hourglasses
appear next to skulls in so many Vanitas paintings,
and sometimes on gravestones, and I still
think this makes sense.
I mean, this looks a lot more like an hourglass
than a crossbones, so I guess that's my theory
for now, but who knows?
History is muddled and confusing and we can
never know for sure because whoever came up
with the name is too dead to tell us.
Just like this muskrat.
To make them you will need: Some sort of button
mould.
I got these ones from Burnley & Trowbridge,
and there are a few other stores that sell
them too.
For bigger buttons I use these wooden discs
I got on etsy.
They just need a hole drilled through the
middle.
You can also drill a hole through plastic
buttons and use those.
Heavy thread or fine yarn.
This is a very sturdy linen which I'll use
for my 6 section button, and which is also
good for tying off the threads at the back.
Silk buttonhole twist is great if you can
get it, but cotton pearl is a much more affordable
and widely available option.
Not historically accurate, but it looks nice
enough.
There are lots of threads that work, just
try to avoid anything too thick or fuzzy,
or made up of multiple strands like embroidery
floss.
Beeswax.
I cut this off the end of a candle, but you
can get it from sewing supply stores too,
just make sure it's real beeswax.
A pencil or waterproof pen for marking out
the sections.
Small scraps of paper to make templates for
marking out the sections.
Possibly a small pair of pliers.
Scissors or snips.
One straight pin.
A sharp needle and a blunt needle.
And while not strictly necessary for buttons,
it's always nice to have a thimble.
First you need some kind of template to mark
out the sections.
I make mine by tracing and cutting out a circle
of paper, folding it in half both ways, and
cutting 4 evenly spaced notches.
I then mark the sections onto the mould.
Rub the lump of beeswax on the button mould
until it has a thin coating all over.
This makes it slightly sticky, which will
help the threads stay in place.
Before starting the decorative wraps you need
an X shaped base to anchor them to.Holding
the thread against the back of the mould,
and leaving a little bit of a tail, make a
few wraps around the mould one way and then
the other.
I'm doing 5 here but this differs depending
on the size of the mould and the thickness
of the thread.Using the tail end I stitch
around the middle of the X a few times and
tie it off.
This should be at the back, or the flatter
side of the mould.
At this point I like to hold up my template
again to make sure the 4 sections are even.
With the 
long thread coming from the back, begin wrapping
it so it catches on the ends of the anchoring
X, like so.
Between wraps the thread should pass under
the middle of the button, so on your next
wrap you're wrapping towards your previous
wrap.
After your first 4 you should have this nice
little square, and you keep adding wraps to
the inside of the square.
After a while it will become harder to keep
the wraps from slipping, so to prevent this
we stab a straight pin through the back of
the button, right in the middle.
Now when you bring the thread around to the
back it will loop nicely around the pin.
Continue wrapping until you've filled most
of the button.
It can be a bit tricky to get the tension
right, but you'll improve with practice.
Once your wraps start getting close to the
middle, carefully pull back the pin so the
tip is just below the threads.
Do NOT pull the pin out or the whole button
will fall apart.
Keep wrapping until there are no gaps left.
You'll probably have to nudge and squish the
threads a bit so everything lies smoothly.
Now you can cut off your thread, leaving a
tail of about 15 cm.
To secure the wraps you'll need a strong waxed
thread, here I'm using a heavy linen.
I should have waxed it and threaded the needle
before starting, because it's best not to
put the button down and risk the wraps coming
lose.
Using the blunt needle pass the thread under
one of the 4 clumps of wraps on the back of
the button, leaving a tail of at least 5 cm.
Pass it under a few more times, pulling tightly,
and do the same for the other 3.
Once you get back to the first bunch, pass
the needle under again once or twice.
Now you can take the pin out.
Here I like to tie off the threads in a square
knot.
The booklet says you don't need to tie it
because the wax keeps it on place, but I like
to anyways.
Threading the tail of your main thread through
the sharp needle, stab it through the back
and bring it up right next to the middle and
stitch a little X there to help secure the
longest wraps.
This might require pliers.
Tie off the thread, cut it off, and it's finished!
To sew them on I like to use more of that
heavy waxed linen.
If you're familiar with how to sew on 18th
century cloth covered buttons the process
is pretty similar.
I first secure my thread to my garment, then
stab through the bump on the back of the button,
take a stitch through the garment, and repeat
that a few more times.
I'm not stitching it on too tightly.
Next you wrap the thread around a few times
to form a shank, and tie it off.
In 18th century construction the buttons are
usually sewn on before the lining, but in
the cases where it's not you might want to
be a bit more careful in tying it off neatly.
Now for the black & white coat buttons.
I'm first marking the exact middle of these
one and a half inch wooden discs so I can
drill the necessary holes, and then marking
out the 4 sections.
It starts off the same way as the one colour
button, with the waxing and the X shaped anchoring
threads.
But unlike the first button I'm doing the
wraps 2 at a time.
As far as I can tell, most of these big multicoloured
buttons have the wraps done at least 2 at
a time, presumably because it helps them stay
flat.
When doing a button for a matched set I periodically
check it against a finished one to make sure
all the sections are the right size.
When it's time to change colours I stitch
the thread under a few wraps at the back,
stitch the new thread under a few times from
the opposite side, and tie them in a square
knot.
I continue wrapping the same as before, 2
at a time, checking to make sure I have the
right amount of each colour.
When you get to the end you might end up having
to do a few more wraps in one direction than
the other, but that's ok, it happened in the
18th century too.
Use your most uneven buttons for the least
visible areas on your garment.
I like to smooth out the button with my thumbs,
just to make sure the threads are lying as
nicely and evenly as I can get them.
Just like the first button, I'm tying off
the wraps with a heavy waxed linen, using
my blunt needle to go underneath all of them
and pulling fairly tightly.
Some of these big decorative buttons don't
have those little anchoring stitches in the
middle, but I like to add them, especially
since 2 of the buttons on this coat are functional.
(slow piano music) Next up are some little
12 mm buttons I'm making for a waistcoat.
I find it's best to wax all the moulds at
once, before starting, otherwise I'm likely
to forget a few.
Since these moulds are so small, I don't bother
marking out the sections, I do it by eye.
I threaded the needle for tying off the middle
of the X before I started wrapping, because
on the first 2 attempts I didn't and and it
came loose and I had to start over again.
Sticking the pin in before doing the wraps
seemed like a good idea, since the small buttons
are much harder to control.
We're back to doing the wraps one at a time
for this one.
I tied the second colour on but didn't cut
off the first one, since I will be switching
back to it after just 2 rounds of contrasting
wraps.
I 
suggest practicing on bigger buttons before
trying one this size, because they're trickier
and they make your hands hurt.
(suitably calm background music) I
tried to do the little securing stitches in
the middle, but the hole in the mould was
too small, so I just hope they don't snag
or wear out too quickly.
Because these ones are so strenuous on the
hands I highly recommend taking breaks between
them.
Go stretch and work on something that uses
different muscles.
Please don't give yourself horrible hand cramps.
Here's my unfinished waistcoat front.
I'm sewing the buttons on just like before,
taking little stitches through the fabric
and stabbing through the bump, then wrapping
around it to make a thread shank.
When sewing on buttons close together you
don't need to cut your thread in between,
just be sure to anchor it with a few stitches
when you start the next one, so it doesn't
bunch up the front when you pull on it.
This will all be covered by the lining later.
These last ones are for a coat I haven't even
cut out yet, but as long as you have the fabric
and know how many you need, it's never too
early to make buttons.
For the template I folded the paper in half,
and then into thirds to mark out 6 sections.
The process for these is pretty much the same
as the black & white ones, but working in
a hexagon instead of a square.
I did a few practice buttons to work out the
colour sections on these, but now I realize
it would have been better to make a sketch.
(calm, but lonely and somewhat
sad sounding piano music) That's all the buttons
I have to show to you today.
I hope I've done a good enough job of explaining
the techniques.
With them you should be able to make buttons
in any colours you want.
Like all things, it takes practice, but if
you finish a button and it's horrible you
can simply cut off the threads and start over.
Or carefully unwind and save them, if they're
expensive.
I hope this video was helpful, or at least
interesting, and I hope that maybe it's inspired
you to make some buttons.
I've written an accompanying blog post with
more examples of original 18th century buttons,
which I will link to in the description.
(calm, but lonely and somewhat sad sounding
piano music)
