Tien Chiu

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August 24, 2012 by Tien Chiu

Buttons

I’ve made considerable progress on the Celtic Braid Coat, having reworked the lining, assembled the collar, and basted the cape to the vest.  Now I’m considering what button to put on the collar.  I have three possibilities:

blingy button?
blingy button?
dotted button?
dotted button?
crosshatched button?
crosshatched button?

At the moment I am inclined towards the dotted button (second photo).  The first button, while beautiful, calls attention to itself and not to the rest of the cape  –  the eye gets “stuck” there.  The third button (which I admit is hard to see in the photo) doesn’t feel like it belongs, probably because the red isn’t a perfect match and the cross-hatched pattern doesn’t relate to the rest of the garment.  The second button, with the red dots, seems to harmonize better – the red is a better match and it echoes the dots of red in the Celtic braid.  But I’m still debating it, so would love opinions!

Today’s plan is to work more on the Celtic Braid Coat, and design the structures for katazome.  The repeats will be small and I’m going to do my best to keep the number of interlacements the same on each warp thread – which probably means a crepe weave, to add some visual texture without distracting from the image.

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Filed Under: All blog posts, textiles, sewing Tagged With: celtic braid coat

Previous post: Color and value studies
Next post: Simulation of cross-dyed double katazome

Comments

  1. Nancy Lea says

    August 24, 2012 at 6:50 am

    could you cover a button with the fabric? frankly, if you can find or make the same red, I’d just use a simple solid colour. Or…how about making button a button to match of polymer clay? or does that seem too “gimmicky?”

  2. Michelle Rudy says

    August 24, 2012 at 8:03 am

    Of the buttons you show, I like the second. Would it be possible to not use a button? My preference is for an unadorned stand-up collar. Otherwise, I think Nancy has the right idea in her suggestions.

    I’m enjoying your ruminations about creativity, the arts, need for a degree, etc. The Blog of Impossible Things ”is” interesting! Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

  3. Terry says

    August 24, 2012 at 9:00 am

    My first reaction is the second button, the dotted one. Complements the coat but doesn’t call too much attention to itself.

  4. Louise says

    August 24, 2012 at 11:49 am

    I agree with Terry. I like the compliment of the second button.

  5. Janet says

    August 24, 2012 at 11:52 am

    I like the idea of no button for the collar. If you feel it really needs a button, a button that matches the other buttons on the garment would be my choice. Or, the dotted button.

  6. Helen Hart says

    August 24, 2012 at 5:56 pm

    Love reading your blog and I learn so much. Thank you. Anyway, the second, dotted button would be best, or if the collar can stand alone, no button. Garment is very beautiful.

  7. Martha says

    August 27, 2012 at 7:02 am

    Tien, my vote is for the button that matches the other buttons. Somehow the other buttons remind me of a victorian cameo on a high neck blouse. The cape is interesting to look at without the distraction of an additional style element.

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