It’s Not Just Sew Sew
The old West
had a shortage of everything except hard times and backbreaking work and there
was sure plenty of that. Pioneer women took extra pains with all their
belongings and to lose something as small as a button really was difficult to
take.
Buttons have
been around approximately 4,000 years with its history dating back to Egypt. Archaeologists have unearthed them in ancient tombs and in archaeological digs.
At first
buttons were used entirely for decoration. Men and women both wore buttons to
adorn themselves. King Louis XIV of France spent $600,000 a year on buttons and
King Francis I once had 13,600 buttons sewn to a single coat. The First Duke of
Buckingham had a suit and cloak covered in diamond buttons. Talk about
extravagant.
From ancient
times, buttons have been fashioned from pearls, shells, glass, metal, wood,
bone and antler, precious stones, porcelain, and leather among other materials.
It appears that our ancestors made buttons from everything imaginable that was
available at the time. Buttons with images of angels on them date back hundreds
of years. Early buttons showed beautiful artistry. Artists filled their time
painting portraits and scenery on them. Europe became so button crazy the
church denounced them as “the devil’s snare,” mainly because of women’s
buttoned-front dresses. Even the Puritans condemned buttons as sinful.
No one is quite
sure when someone came along and fashioned the first buttonhole, but it was
quite an accomplishment. Everyone jumped on the band wagon. It was so nice to
able to make form-fitting garments that didn’t have to be secured with a belt,
rope or other device.
Sadly,
decorated buttons have become a lost art. These today are made of plastic.
Vintage Buttons
Button
collecting began in the 1930’s. The National Button Society was formed in 1938.
There are thousands of collectors today. People collect all kinds and shapes
and some of the prices fetched for a single button is outrageous. Recently, a
button was sold in auction for $850.
The Smithsonian
Institution has an extensive button collection as do many other museums.
Did you know
that March 13-19 is National Button Week?
I'll have a new
book out on May 5th! The second one in the Bachelor of Battle Creek series --
TWICE A TEXAS BRIDE!
Scars of the
past run deep inside former saloon owner Rand Sinclair, leaving jagged pain and
two certainties. He'll never fall in love again. Never marry. He finally has
the ranch and land he's dreamed of owning and that's enough.
But when he
finds a woman and little boy hiding out in one of his outbuildings in the
bitter cold, he can't turn his back. He offers her a safe haven and the warmth
of his fire.
Callie Quinn is
on the run from a killer outlaw who has vowed to see her dead and take the boy.
Slowly, Rand
uncovers her secrets and realizes the only way to keep her safe is to push all
his chips to the center of the table. He risks everything...his name...and his
heart...for the woman who's awakened a fierce hunger for love.
Locked
in a desperate battle to rid themselves of the outlaw's special brand of
terror, Rand reaches deep inside for
every weapon in his arsenal.
Whoever
wants to harm her will have to go through him.
And he’ll go through hell for her.
* * *
Here's a short excerpt involving
buttons:
Sliding her hand beneath the soft hair
at the nape of his neck, she parted her mouth slightly. When his tongue dipped
inside, she faintly tasted peaches. She’d never felt so much need well up
inside. She needed Rand like she needed air and food and to be loved. How could
she have lived this long without him?
A second later, he removed his mouth
from hers and murmured. “You drive me crazy, woman. Would you mind if I
unfasten some buttons of your dress?”
“How many?” What a dumb question, but
her brain had deserted her. The tingles doing back-flips and twirls up and down
her spine had made forming coherent thought impossible.
“Three. Or four. You have so many.” He
flashed a fleeting grin. “I have the greatest desire to feel my wife's skin.
Will you welcome me?”
“Yes,” she managed to whisper.
The cool air was welcome on her flesh as
he undid the four buttons she’d allotted. But he didn't stop. She covered his
hand with hers. "You said four and that's what I agreed to."
"I never was much good at
arithmetic." He took her hand and kissed each of her fingertips before he
resumed his mission.
* * *
Do you have a
stash of buttons? Can you imagine wearing a piece of clothing that has over
13,000 buttons sewn on it?
I'm giving away
a book to two people who comment. Their choice of Texas Mail Order Bride or
Twice a Texas Bride in either print or e-book.
Amazon Links:
Texas Mail
Order Bride: http://amzn.com/1492602817
Linda Broday, Historical Romance Author
I'm a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. My
interest in reading and history came very early, so when I began writing
historical romances it was no surprise to anyone. I reside in the Texas
Panhandle on land the American Indian and Comancheros once roamed. I love
scouring history books and the internet for little known details to add to my
stories. I've been accused, and quite unjustly I might add, of making myself a
nuisance at museums and libraries. Humble roots and the love of family have
become focal points of each book I write. I hope you like the stories I
endeavor to bring to you and that you'll try my new Bachelors of Battle Creek
series.
You can Contact me:
Visit me at: www.LindaBroday.com
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/linda.broday1
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/lindabrodayauthor
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/lbroday
Google: http://google.com/+LindaBroday
