Button
309492
225970803
2008-07-16T07:18:49Z
Jerem43
2189852
/* References */ tyop
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[[Image:Clothes button.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A small flat button]]
[[Image:Shank buttons.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Metal, plastic, and leather shank buttons.]]
In [[clothing]] and [[fashion design]], a '''button''' is a small plastic or metal disc- or knob-shaped, typically round, object usually attached to an article of [[clothing]] in order to secure an opening, or for [[fashion|ornamentation]]. Functional buttons work by slipping the button through a fabric or thread loop, or by sliding the button through a reinforced slit called a '''[[buttonhole]]'''.
Buttons may be manufactured from an extremely wide range of [[material]]s, including natural materials such as
[[antler]], [[bone]], [[horn (anatomy)|horn]], [[ivory]], [[seashell|shell]], [[vegetable ivory]], and [[wood]]; or synthetics such as [[celluloid]], [[glass]], [[metal]], [[bakelite]] and [[plastic]].
Hard plastic is by far the most common material for newly manufactured buttons; the other materials tend to occur only in premium apparel.
==History==
Buttons and button-like objects used as ornaments rather than fasteners have been discovered in the [[Indus Valley Civilization|ancient Indus Valley]] during its Kot Dijy phase (circa [[2800 BC|2800]]-[[2600 BC]]) and [[Bronze Age]] sites in [[History of China|China]] (circa [[2000 BC|2000]]-[[1500 BC]]), and are attested in [[Ancient Rome]].
Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothing appeared first in [[Germany]] in the 13th century.<ref>Lynn White: "The Act of Invention: Causes, Contexts, Continuities and Consequences", ''Technology and Culture'', Vol. 3, No. 4 (Autumn, 1962), pp. 486-500 (497f. & 500)</ref> They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in [[13th century|13th]]- and [[14th century|14th-century]] [[Europe]].
==Types of buttons==
[[Image:Buttons 2.jpg|thumb|Three sew-through buttons (left) and one shank covered button (right).]]
*'''[[Shank (sewing)|Shank buttons]]''' have a small ring or a bar with a hole called the '''[[Shank (sewing)|shank]]''' protruding from the back of the button, through which thread is sewn to attach the button.
*'''Covered buttons''' are fabric-covered forms with a separate back piece that secures the fabric over the knob.
*'''Flat or sew-through''' buttons have two or four holes punched through the button through which the thread is sewn to attach the button. Flat buttons may be attached by [[sewing machine]] rather than by hand, and may be used with heavy fabrics by working a '''[[Shank (sewing)|thread shank]]''' to extend the height of the button above the fabric.
*'''Worked or cloth buttons''' are created by [[embroidery|embroidering]] or [[crochet]]ing tight stitches (usually with [[linen]] [[yarn|thread]]) over a knob or ring called a '''form'''.
*'''Mandarin buttons''' or [[Frog (fastening)|Frogs]] are knobs made of intricately knotted strings. Mandarin buttons are a key element in [[Mandarin dress]] (''[[qipao|Qi Pao]]'' and ''[[cheongsam]]'' in [[Chinese language|Chinese]]), where they are closed with loops. Pairs of mandarin buttons worn as [[cuff link]]s are called '''silk knots'''.
===Button sizes===
The size of the button depends on its use. Shirt buttons are generally small, and spaced close together, whereas coat buttons are larger and spaced further apart. Buttons are commonly measured in [[ligne]]s (also called ''lines'' and abbreviated ''L''), with 40 lignes equal to 1 inch. For example, some standard sizes of buttons are 16 lignes (10.16 mm, standard button of men's [[shirt]]s) and 32 lignes (20.32 mm, typical button on [[suit (clothes)|suit jackets]]).
==Buttonholes==
[[Image:Keyhole buttonhole.jpg|right|thumb|Machine-stitched keyhole buttonhole with bar]]
{{main|buttonhole}}
Functional buttons (as opposed to decorative buttons) are normally paired with a buttonhole. Alternately, a decorative loop of [[cloth]] or [[rope]] may replace the buttonhole. Buttonholes may be either made by hand sewing or automated by a [[sewing machine]].
Buttonholes often have a '''bar''' at either end. The bar is a perpendicular stitch that reinforces the ends of a buttonhole.
==See also==
{{commonscat|Buttons (sewing)}}
*[[Snap fastener]]
*[[Zipper]]
==References==
{{refbegin}}
===Notes===
<references/>
===Cited works===
# Carl Kohler, ''A History of Costume'', Dover 1963 reprint, ISBN 0-486-21030-8
# Bryan Bunch, ''The History of Science and Technology'', Houghton Mifflin Books, 2004 ISBN 0-618-22123-9
{{refend}}
==External links==
*[http://www.thedorsetpage.com/history/Button_Making/button_making.htm Worked button making in Dorset]
*[http://www.kk-design.com/scti/in103/students/buttons/button_project/button%20types/types.htm Types of Buttons]
*[http://www.harappa.com/indus2/128.html Button seal]
*[http://www.onefivenine.info/buttons.html Button-making in Birmingham, England in the 1800s]
*[http://www.buttonarium.com Online button museum]
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{{Clothing}}
[[Category:Textile closures]]
[[cs:Knoflík]]
[[de:Knopf (Kleidung)]]
[[es:Botón (vestimenta)]]
[[eo:Butono]]
[[fr:Bouton (couture)]]
[[gl:Botón (vestimenta)]]
[[it:Bottone]]
[[lt:Saga]]
[[nl:Knoop (kleding)]]
[[ja:ボタン (服飾)]]
[[pl:Guzik]]
[[pt:Botão]]
[[ru:Пуговица]]
[[fi:Nappi]]
[[sv:Knapp]]
[[ta:பொத்தான்]]
[[th:กระดุม]]
[[tr:Düğme]]
[[uk:Ґудзик]]
[[zh:鈕扣]]