Buttonhole cutter

Artifact of the week is no. S-776. It is a buttonhole cutter that was owned by Vilborg Ásgrímsdóttir from Norður-Götur (1857-1946) and gifted to the museum by Ingveldur Tómasdóttir. It was probably made by Andrés Fjeldsted from Hvítárvellir.

Buttonhole cutters are used, as the name implies, to cut holes in fabric for buttons. When the placement of the buttonhole has been sewn into the fabric, the cutter can be used to cut open the hole. This cutter has four sharp beveled blades in different sizes that can be switched out depending on how large the buttonhole should be. A piece of card or other material is put underneath the fabric so that the cutter does not damage whatever surface is underneath. The cutter is then pressed through the fabric or beaten through with a mallet.