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Nice lot of small to tiny tribal dome buttons in varying metal colors and sizes. 140 buttons for belly dance costuming repair. Tribal buttons have been taken from clothing and accessory items, household decor or even animal trappings and repurposed, maybe many times, in their tribal lifetimes. Buttons, like other tribal embellishments are used to adorn almost anything you can imagine. In tribal life, vintage components and findings are often reused and repurposed to add adornment to new clothing, jewelry and accessory pieces. As the item wears and eventually becomes unusable, the pieces that can be saved are repurposed to embellish a newer item. Think of them as the original recycling!
Item No. DMB1447
Button size: From perhaps 3/8 of an inch up to 1/2 inch across.
Number of Buttons: Approx. 140
Metal Color: Various from silvery to brassy / bronzey.
Metal Finish: Some are a little shiny, some are unpolished, some may have a bit of patina.
Attachment Type: Button shank or loop on the back for stringing or sewing.
Design: All are plain top domed buttons.
Additional Info: All are loose, none on strings.
Country of Origin: Pakistan/Afghanistan
Condition: Vintage
You will receive the exact pieces shown in the photos on this page. Please check photos carefully for condition. These are USED buttons that have previously adorned tribal clothing, accessories, household goods, animal trappings or other items. They are hand-assembled. These buttons may have small flaws such as shanks being off center, small dents, or the edges may be bent or curled. Please check photos carefully for condition.
A NOTE ON THE CONDITION OF TRIBAL ITEMS: Our tribal components are used pieces from from faraway lands. As used pieces they may be tarnished or otherwise reflect their prior lives as treasured tribal pieces. Please know that we strive to maintain the tribal allure of our items and therefore we do not clean or repair these pieces in any way. This not only maintains the old, tribal look of each piece that our belly dance customers seek, but also preserves the value of a piece that cleaning, and especially polishing, might destroy.
We do our best to describe any flaws that may be present, and we encourage you to read the full description and look at all photos closely to judge the condition of the item for yourself and know exactly what you are ordering. If you have questions about the condition of any item, please ask!
Tips for using DIY tribal buttons:
Buttons seem to be the one costuming item that puzzles people more than any other! Frequent questions are "How do you get these attached?" and "Do you need a special or curved needle?" And sometimes we even hear "I just can't get them sewn on!" The trick is to do as the tribal people themselves do! The easiest way is to braid some yarn (available in ANY color to match costuming) into a long piece. Then take a piece of cellophane tape and make an aglet (think shoelace end) on one end of the braid. Using the taped end, thread the braided yarn through the shank on the back of the button. Repeat with as many buttons as you need, then sew the braided yarn down in any row or pattern that you like! Another tip that we sometimes use for adding a few individually spaced buttons is to drill a small hole on each side of it and simply sew through the holes. Use a 1/16 inch drill bit and be very careful. Sometimes buttons are thinner metal and holes can be punched with an awl. Of course, if your buttons are already strung on a cord or rolled fabric, you can simply sew the cord down to your costuming project and be done!
