Thursday 18 August 2016

The Button Box by Lynn Knight .. a book review!








Reading a book can take you away
on adventures without leaving your 
comfy chair.  It can take you to other
lands or give you information you
never knew before and indeed
transport you back in time.
 .... I love reading.






Because I am an avid reader and because I do buy from Amazon as well as my local book shop this
book came up in my email as a might be of interest to you book ... and it was.

So I ordered it last week and read it straight away and it is such a great book.  The story of Lynn Knights family via the button box.  It is described as lifting the lid on women's lives with a that starts little passage that starts off as I used to love the rattle and whoosh of my grandma’s buttons as they scattered from their Quality Street tin. I had to buy and read this book and I am so so glad that I did and as you know the other week I was talking about my grandmothers missing button tin, that was a Quality Street tin as well and so I was rather intrigued  to say the least.

The preface is called family buttons and vintage finds  and in there Lynn quotes that a Times leader rightly described button boxes as 'an epitome of family history'!



There are scrumptious chapter titles such as The Twinkling Button, The Shoe Button, Eva's Glove Button and Suspenders and of course The Land Army  and you keep reading because you just have to read the next chapter with titles like these ...

When you open the front cover there is a picture page which I have shown here and that is the only pictures in this book, it is for reading and imagining the buttons that she describes and I at one point thought I might need a bib because I was reading about some beauties....




On the back of this treasure of a book is some words from Juliet Gardiner and says ..

A new, enchanting and appropriate optic on the history of women's lives, their domestic duties, families, work and fashion ..

I can not recommend this book highly enough and as I say you can purchase it from Amazon or ask
your local book store to order it in for you if it is not on their shelves already.

I do not want to spoil your read at all but must just say that there are little bits of Lynn's family life and a particular Great Aunt who is mentioned called Eva who was born in 1901 on the day of Queen Victoria's funeral and is quite a character if ever I read about one ... I loved turning the pages to see if she was indeed mentioned again and again.

If you love buttons, sewing, fashion and a good read then this is the book for you and it is under £10 so well worth it as it is a hard back as well and one that will sit on your book shelf but be picked up again and again believe me.


Well the weather has been a little cooler here today so far so I am hoping to get some serious stitching in today ... I really have fallen behind on it all.   Although I have been busy with cutting out and sorting my sewing room and reading about buttons (grin) I feel I have not been working properly and so I am hoping today will see lots of stitchery getting done.

I hope you all have a great day and as always Happy Stitching! XX









6 comments:

  1. That looks a great book.
    Julie xxxxxxxxxxx

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  2. Julie
    I highly recommend it and it totally absorbed me chapter after chapter ... buttons and history, a great read.

    Sarah xxxx

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  3. I had to laugh because my Mum's old button tin (which I inherited) is in an old Quality Street tin too, but I have added little tins of my own to the collection (mostly QS too, but also Roses!). I had a mind to use the buttons in the tin on my vintage knits, but every time I take one out I am reluctant to use it as it brings back memories. I once used a set on a cardigan, only for the customer review to mention my strange choice of buttons, and that she could discard them and get some more. I emailed her begging for them back but had no reply. If only she had appreciated the wrench it had been for me to add them to my creation. No more, I now buy buttons in! I will have to wait for an audio version of the book, as sadly I can no longer read books, but it sounds an excellent read.

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    Replies
    1. Oh what a sad thing about the buttons! How could she! I actually gasped at that ...

      Sorry you can't read books now ... Fingers crossed it comes out in audio because it's fabulous..
      Hope you are well and decorating is going well...

      Sarah xxxx

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  4. I do love a book recommendation, maybe something to do with the fact that I have worked in a library for over 30 years now. This book sounds fascinating Sarah. Thank you x

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  5. It's a great book Dawn .. I did not know you worked in a library! How fab.

    I recommend the library purchases it!

    Sarah xxx

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