Irish crochet provided much-needed income as piecework during the nineteenth century in Ireland. For the 11th-annual Lace Issue of PieceWork, May/June 2018, contributor Pat Olski shares her adaptation of two timeless Irish crochet buttons to make. Time-consuming though the technique may be, small projects, such as buttons, are the perfect introduction to this lovely form of lace.
Here’s Pat to tell us more:
The title of an article in the March 26, 1910, edition of The Washington Times announces “Irish Crocheted Buttons Used to Replace Pearl on Waists.” The article describes in detail how the buttons should be used and even gives instructions for cleaning them. The opinion that “these lace buttons are more effective on a smart fine blouse than any pearl button, and that any addition of baby Irish [lace] is effective” is more relevant today than the accompanying directive to clean the buttons with gasoline and a sponge! A pattern printed in a 1912 book notes that “pearl buttons are excellent for covering if regular button molds are not at hand.”
A button is a great entrée into the fanciful world of singular stitches and dimensional lace motifs that are the characteristic features of Irish crochet. I adapted patterns from Irish Crochet Lace and The Priscilla Irish Crochet Book No. 2 for the Seventh-Wheel Button and the Roll-Stitch Button, respectively.
Pat Olski’s stunning Irish crochet buttons will add pizzazz to any garment. The Roll-Stitch Button is the smaller of the two (at left); the Seventh-Wheel Button is the larger one (at right).
Materials
Seventh-Wheel Button
- DMC Pearl Cotton, size 12, 100% mercerized cotton thread, 131 yard (119.8 m)/10 gram (0.4 oz) ball, 1 ball of #712 Cream
- DMC Pearl Cotton, size 3, 100% mercerized cotton thread, 16 yard (14.6 m)/14 gram (½ oz) skein, 1 skein of # 712 Cream
- Crochet hook, steel, size 6 (1.00 mm)
- Knitting needle, size 6 (4 mm)
- Dritz Half Ball Cover Buttons, size 75, 1⅞ inches (4.8 cm)
- Cotton fabric, lightweight to cover button form
- John James Needle, tapestry, size 24
Finished size: 1⅞ inches (4.8 cm) in diameter
Roll-Stitch Button
- DMC Cebelia, size 30, 100% mercerized cotton thread, 567 yard (518.5 m)/50 gram (1¾ oz) ball, 1 ball of #712 Cream
- Crochet hook, steel, size 6 (1.00 mm)
- Dritz Half Ball Button, size 45, 1⅛ inches (2.9 cm)
- Cotton fabric, lightweight to cover button form
- John James Needle, tapestry, size 24
Finished size: 1⅛ inch (2.9 cm) in diameter
Interested in learning more about crochet buttons? This project and more can be found in the May/June 2018 issue of PieceWork.
Also, remember that if you are an active subscriber to PieceWork magazine, you have unlimited access to previous issues, including May/June 2018. See our help center for the step-by-step process on how to access them.
Pat Olski is the editor of PieceWork.
Originally published April 6, 2018; updated March 11, 2024.