Using the post and rail technique, I made this with leftover fabrics from the Red dust quilt. I have attached six antique buttons on the squares in the top left hand corner, which is the palest area on the quilt (close-up shown below). These buttons originally belonged to my great grandmother (or so my mother told me). They’re probably ivory, but it’s also possible that they are from the earliest plastic (celluloid) buttons manufactured. However, I don’t think so, because they are not identical – they differ slightly in size and thickness and are obviously hand-carved – and the holes for attaching them aren’t in exactly the same places either. Also, they feel and (when rattled together) sound harder than plastic.
