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Monday, 1 August 2011

Button | What is Button | Define Button | Button Definition | Button Meaning | History of Buttons | Button History | Types of Buttons | Button Types | Button Sizes | Size of the Button | Button Holes | What are Button Holes

Button
A button fastening device with circuit actuating capability includes: a first button part; a second button part engageable releasably with the first button part for fastening articles together; and a circuit actuating unit mounted on at least one of the first and second button parts, adapted to be electrically connected to a circuit, and operable to control circuit states of the circuit through engagement and disengagement of the first and second button parts.
Button
A small disk or knob sewn on to a garment, either to fasten it by being pushed through a slit made for the purpose, or for decoration. In clothing and fashion design, a button is a small disc, typically round, object usually attached to an article of clothing in order to secure an opening, or for ornamentation. 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.

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.

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

History of Buttons | Button History

Buttons and button-like objects used as ornaments rather than fasteners have been discovered in the Indus Valley Civilization as well as Bronze Age sites in China (circa 2000-1500 BCE), and Ancient Rome.

Buttons made from seashell were used in the Indus Valley Civilization for ornamental purposes by 2000 BC. Some buttons were carved into geometric shapes and had holes pierced into them so that they could attached to clothing by using a thread.

Functional buttons, made from stone, have been found at the site of Gobekli Tepe, in southeastern Turkey, dated at 10,500 B.C. Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothing appeared first in Germany in the 13th century. They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.

Types of Buttons | Button Types

Shank Buttons
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.

Covered Buttons
Covered Buttons are fabric-covered forms with a separate back piece that secures the fabric over the knob.

Flat or Sew-through Buttons
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.

Worked or Cloth
ButtonsWorked or Cloth Buttons are created by embroidering or crocheting tight stitches (usually with linen thread) over a knob or ring called a form.

Mandarin Buttons

Mandarin buttons or Frogs are knobs made of intricately knotted strings. Mandarin buttons are a key element in Mandarin dress, where they are closed with loops. Pairs of mandarin buttons worn as cuff links are called silk knots.

Button Sizes | Size of the Button
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 example, some standard sizes of buttons are 16 lignes (10.16 mm, standard button of men’s shirts) and 32 lignes (20.32 mm, typical button on suit jackets).

Button Holes | What are Button Holes
Functional buttons (as opposed to decorative buttons) are normally paired with a buttonhole. Alternately, a decorative loop of cloth or rope may replace the buttonhole. Buttonholes may be either made by hand sewing or automated by a sewing machine.

Buttonholes often have a bar at either end. The bar is a perpendicular stitch that reinforces the ends of a buttonhole.

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