Let's
look at some double-cut buttons today. Here are three of them, all
Bakelite and each with a distinctive design. The smallest is bright maroon;
and it gleams like a dollop of raspberry jam. The medium-sized button is creamed corn with rounded cuts on the topside that deliver a striking, art deco vivacity. The largest button is a rare blue beauty with some patina in the grooves. This button has me so amazed that I've taken a second photo of it, held up to the clouds—to really show off
the brightness of the electric zing! Double-cut buttons are
unique in that they're cut differently on the top than they are on the
bottom. You can see through the cuts to the dissimilar design
underneath. Circa 1930. -Sherbert McGee
Here's a gorgeous button that's made of bright red Bakelite. And we're talking Emergency Red! Going back to the 1930's, this vintage whirligig has the dizzying effect of a hypnotic spiral. Don't stare at this button for too long, or you might tip into it. Not for a plain Jane or a humdrum Henrietta, this double-cut button must've packed a punch once upon a time on the jacket of a majorly fancy Francine.
Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Last month I mentioned that I'd soon be posting a full week of art deco buttons; and commencing today, that week begins. One of the reasons I started collecting Bakelite buttons is because so many of them were made in the art deco style (between the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression). The signature look of the Jazz Age has been preserved in all kinds of exquisite artwork, household items, chic architecture, vintage jewelry and even something as simple as a button. On that note, here's an art deco button made of creamed corn Bakelite that was designed with the double-cut method of carving the button on each side differently, so that the top layer and bottom of the button convey totally dissimilar patterns. Art deco, as a style, often reveals itself by way of simple, geographic contours and that is certainly the case here with triangular folds wrapped over circular rings—cleverly juxtaposed to accentuate the different shapes. I feel lucky to own this button as it's the only one of its kind that I have ever seen. Stay tuned for more Gatsby-era buttons throughout this week.
Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
Let's
look at some double-cut buttons today. Here are three of them, all
Bakelite and each with a distinctive design. The smallest is bright maroon;
and it gleams like a dollop of raspberry jam. The medium-sized button is creamed corn with rounded cuts on the topside that deliver a striking, art deco vivacity. The largest button is a rare blue beauty with some patina in the grooves. This button has me so amazed that I've taken a second photo of it, held up to the clouds—to really show off
the brightness of the electric zing! Double-cut buttons are
unique in that they're cut differently on the top than they are on the
bottom. You can see through the cuts to the dissimilar design
underneath. Circa 1930. -Sherbert McGee 
