Mammy and her mama before her always kept a large jar, usually with a wide mouth, filled with buttons. We used to play a little game when a crowd was cooped up indoors. A button would be selected from the large jar and held between two palms. Everyone would stand or sit in a circle and the holder of the button would slide the pressed together hands through each of the others. At some time in the process the button would be dropped into another pair of hands. At the completion of the circle, the leader would then ask "Button, button...who has the button"! The person able to identify the recipient would then become the leader. This was a good way to occupy a lazy afternoon and develop our skills of observation with the ability to maintain a secret for a short time. The little ditty passed around my mind this morning.
I noticed a small brown box with a slightly askew lid. It was so full, the top was elevated. This is my version of extra buttons. When I purchase clothing, a tiny little bag with extra buttons is often attached. Of course I must keep these extra buttons where they can be located should catastrophe occur and a gap is left where a button is necessary. I can easily count on the fingers of one hand, the times I have retrieved a button from this box to replace one that has gone missing. Still I keep them...just in case! This collection was due for some sorting and clearing. In fact, some of these buttons await their chance to come to the rescue on clothing that now lives in another state or has moved on to an unknown destination. How inconsiderate of me not to retrieve the little bag with extra buttons and attach with a tiny safety pin to clothing being passed on! I carefully opened the bags of now orphaned buttons and dropped them in a small jar. Now I can stash the tiny bags in my sewing notions. I often need to attach buttons or tiny trims to a project in progress. These little bags are a range of handy sizes for holding little sparkly things.
Now my little box lid closes nicely and I feel a lovely sense of accomplishment. I placed the lid on my new jar of buttons and remember that I have one of those wide-mouth jars passed along from my mother back in a cabinet.
Now the little jar is resting along side one of those jars of buttons (many still on their cards) that have never found that perfect destination. I wonder if a bunch of old ladies would enjoy a game of "Button Button"? Mammy would be proud, order has once again been restored to my buttons without homes! My little sparklies have empty bags awaiting when they are matched with potential projects. My morning was not wasted!
