Button club members Sandra Foster, Glenda Phelan and Alison Berton encourage everyone to head to Buttonfest to see the buttons on display. 71069 Picture: Stewart Chambers
By Emma Sun
ANYONE with an interest in buttons or jewellery making is encouraged to head to Buttonfest next Saturday 15 October.
Hosted by the Victorian Button Collectors Club, the annual exhibition is a celebration of all things buttons and provides an opportunity to see, buy and collect buttons from as far back as the 19th century to the present day.
The antique button displays will include a variety of buttons and related items made from a range of materials, including precious metals, mother-of-pearl, bakelite, glass, organic materials and plastics.
There will be buttons for all purposes ranging from glove buttons as small as three millimetres to coat buttons that are larger than seven centimetres.
Club member Alison Berton said the exhibition will be filled with buttons that members have collected over many years and also buttons that have been passed down from generation to generation.
“People don’t realise that button collecting is one of the biggest hobbies in the world – it is the third biggest in the United States,” she said.
“Our members collect different kinds of buttons, whether it is military buttons, doll buttons or frog themed buttons – the categories are endless.”
This year, someone will be available to teach jewellery enthusiasts how to make their own vintage button necklace.
There will also be raffles and a members display competition.
Buttonfest will be held on Saturday 15 October from 9am to 3.30pm at the Burwood Heights Uniting Church, corner Burwood Highway and Blackburn Road, Burwood East.
Entry is $3, free for children under 12. For more information, call Robyn on 9884 5675.
