Button, button - Where is that button?

The clothing manufacturers turned me into a button collector without my consent. Before my other half retired, I did collect dress shirt buttons. I cut them off the shirts with frayed collars and saved them for the shirts that inevitably turned up with missing buttons. The buttons in the fabric store never matched any shirt buttons.

You would think that the shirt manufacturers would settle on a few styles and sizes, but by the time my other half had quit wearing dress shirts, I had one full throat lozenge tin and part of another filled with "white" shirt buttons.

Do you know how many colors of white there are? Some are shell buttons, some are genuine plastic and some even have layers. They are now for sale to the highest bidder.

Many times when I buy a shirt or a pair of pants, an extra button or two is attached in a little envelope with the price tag. I save all of those in an old cigar box that is nearly full. Some of those buttons are so ugly I can't imagine I ever bought a garment to go with them.

Some of my buttons may be nearing antique status. I can't be sure when I started saving them but it had to be over 20 years ago. How old does a button need to be before it qualifies as an antique?

I started saving buttons decades ago in case I ever needed one that size or style. I think I have one real antique button that I bought at a street market about 15 years ago. The reason escapes me except it could have been that I thought it was interesting.

Buttons are all about style. That means I have about three years of buttons that are every color in the designer's palette - one button in each color. Except for the dress shirts, I give clothes we are not wearing anymore to charity - with the buttons intact.

Today's fashion is all about embellishment. Sequins are now for breakfast and not just evening. Along with the two lozenge tins and the cigar box, I have a small plastic box with bits of multicolored yarn, sequins, bugle beads and other ornaments that have also come with sweaters and shirts. Sequins never come off one at a time, though. The whole line comes off - say nine of them, but only five were included in the tiny zippered plastic bag.

I am not sure why they include a bit of yarn with a sweater. I can't knit or crochet. What am I supposed to do with eight inches of turquoise yarn?

I love the huge buttons that are in fashion now. Apparently the manufacturers don't think they will come off because I have never seen extras included. Some are so interesting I am tempted to buy the sweater just to get the neat buttons. That would go over well at home.