Like many people I am constantly  looking for ways of reducing plastic in my life.  For knitting and crochet that means avoiding yarns with acrylic and nylon in them as much as possible and looking for embellishments that aren’t plastic.   When it comes to buttons there are some alternatives to plastic such as wood, metal and shell, and I particularly like shell buttons.  But I like beautifully crafted things as well, and wood, metal and shell buttons seem very limited in style.

Two years ago I had the pleasure to meet Robert Mack, a gentleman who makes the most beautiful fine bone china buttons.   These are a fabulous alternative to plastic and are very practical; if you think they are delicate then you may be surprised to learn they can be washed in the machine!   Last week Robert’s daughter Jocelyn contacted me to let me know she has joined the family business and is re-launching under the name Whim Wham Buttons.   These buttons are so beautiful aren’t they?

There is a new Etsy shop. This is stocked currently with the range of 6 different flower buttons in a variety of colours – all 6 styles are in the photo above, from tiny little Rosie buttons at a little over 1cm across (these would be fabulous on baby clothes) to the larger Eva buttons at over 3cm across (I think I’ll put one of these on the next phone case I crochet which will be in silk yarn).

All of these can be used in the traditional way, as buttons, but also make beautiful embellishments.

They work well in knitting and crochet, and in sewing.  I’m so pleased because I’ve just got my sewing mojo back!

What is a bonus is that they are very affordable, it will not break the bank to have beautiful handcrafted fine bone china buttons but it will enhance your own beautifully crafted knitwear and sewing.  When I’ve spent hours, or even days, making something I’d much rather embellish it with these than with the alternatives!

As the re-launch progresses there will be more items added to the Whim Wham Buttons shop, and I’m signing up for their newsletter so I find out quickly when something new is happening.  I predict they will be very popular so jump in now and buy an heirloom or several, and sign up for the newsletter too!

Whim Wham Buttons can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Thank you Jocelyn for letting me know about this re-launch, it made my week!

Happy knitting and crocheting xxx

All photos in this blog post were supplied by and ©whimwhambuttons