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Death head buttons were a subset of the Leek button (named for the English town of Leek). They consist of thread wrapped around a core of wood or bone.
While death head thread buttons were normally made to match the colors in a garment's fabric, there were occasions where they were a contrasting color. In fact, there are sales advertisements of the period that offered pre-made black death heads. Here are three pictures of art and an extant garment of the period that demonstrate this choice to use contrast: the blue coat is a 1751 Hesselius portrait, the green coat is a 1790 Earl portrait, and the lady's riding jacket buttons were probably originally a bright green to match the collar and cuffs.
SPECIAL SALE! Several sets of buttons were paid for but unclaimed. This means that I can offer them for sale at below the normal price. I even have enough thread left that I can add several more to most of the sets at a discount.
BLACK: All sold
NAVY: 13-5/8” and 42-1” for $97.00
GOLD: 28-1” for 69.00
Light OLIVE: 13-5/8” and 4-1” for $21.00
Medium GREY: 26-5/8” and 18-1” for $62.00
(Price is $1-$2 per button; add-ons a little more)
Death Head button variants on the top row (l.to r.) are metallic, hand-dyed linen, wool, mohair, and silk.
Bottom row are metallic, silk and two-tone silk.
Another two-tone silk button (Actual size: 5/8")
Two-tone buttons in silk and metallic thread
For folks who REALLY love stripes!
Yet another pattern in silk.....
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Some three-color patterns
MAKING YOUR OWN DEATH HEAD BUTTONS?
I have come into some materials, and can share a special price while they last. I now have bone button moulds in sizes 3/8", 5/8", 3/4", and 1" for 50 cents each.
Bone moulds are particularly appropriate for death head buttons on garments that will be exposed to water or laundered (presumably by hand!).
If using them for death heads, it can be difficult to get the initial cross threads to grip the mould. Two methods of increasing the hold would be to either rub beeswax around the edge of the mould, or use mild sand paper (or emery file) to slightly roughen the edge.
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