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All items by Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

  • Dorset Button Cufflinks, Golden Brown

    Dorset Button Cufflinks, Go...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £15.00

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  • Dorset Button Trimmed Bib, Lilac Stripe (B9)

    Dorset Button Trimmed Bib, ...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Hand Smocked Red Gingham Cushion

    Hand Smocked Red Gingham Cu...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £50.00 £40.00 (20% off)

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  • Hand Smocked Lilac Gingham Cushion

    Hand Smocked Lilac Gingham ...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £50.00 £40.00 (20% off)

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  • Hand Smocked Blue Gingham Cushion

    Hand Smocked Blue Gingham C...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £50.00 £40.00 (20% off)

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  • Dorset Button Trimmed Toddler Slippers, age 12 - 18 m, Brown Floral S12

    Dorset Button Trimmed Toddl...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £18.00

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  • Hand Smocked Dress, White with Pink Smocking, Newborn - 3 m

    Hand Smocked Dress, White w...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £70.00 £50.00 (29% off)

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  • Hand Smocked Classic Baby's Dress, 6 m

    Hand Smocked Classic Baby's...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £65.00 £45.00 (31% off)

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  • Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Orange and Blue, B14

    Beaded Dorset Button Brooch...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £15.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty ‘Poppy and Daisy’, Purple

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty ‘Poppy and Daisy’, Blue

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty ‘Elysian’, Orange and Green

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty ‘Pepper’, Pink

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty ‘Hiro’, Mauve and Pink

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty ‘Hiro’, Dark Pink

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty ‘Thorpe’, Pink, Aqua and Red

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Posy Brooch, Bright Green with Yellow, P30

    Dorset Posy Brooch, Bright ...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Posy Brooch, Dark Green with Yellow-orange, P38

    Dorset Posy Brooch, Dark Gr...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Liberty Print Dorset Singleton Button Brooch, ‘Wild Perennial’, Pink

    Liberty Print Dorset Single...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Liberty Print Dorset Singleton Button Brooch, ‘Thorpe’, Red

    Liberty Print Dorset Single...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Liberty Print Dorset Singleton Button Brooch, ‘Mitsi ’, Green

    Liberty Print Dorset Single...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Liberty Print Dorset Singleton Button Brooch, ‘Phoebe’, Blue

    Liberty Print Dorset Single...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • A Practical Guide to Making Dorset Buttons by Rosalind Atkins

    A Practical Guide to Making...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £6.00

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  • Dorset Button Earrings, Singletons with Liberty Print ‘Poppy’, Blue

    Dorset Button Earrings, Sin...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Pink Variations, B15

    Beaded Dorset Button Brooch...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £15.00

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  • Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Russet and Pink, B12

    Beaded Dorset Button Brooch...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £15.00

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  • Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Brown and Gold, B9

    Beaded Dorset Button Brooch...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £15.00

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  • Liberty Print Dorset Singleton Button Brooch, ‘Ibstonian’, Blue

    Liberty Print Dorset Single...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Liberty Print Dorset Singleton Button Brooch, ‘Palace Garden’, Red

    Liberty Print Dorset Single...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Trimmed Bib, Camper Van Beige, B8

    Dorset Button Trimmed Bib, ...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Trimmed Toddler Slippers, age 12 - 18 m, Brown and Khaki, S2

    Dorset Button Trimmed Toddl...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £18.00

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  • Dorset Button Trimmed Toddler Slippers, age 12 - 18 m, Camper Van Beige, S8

    Dorset Button Trimmed Toddl...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £18.00

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  • Dorset Button Key Ring, Orange-Brown, K9

    Dorset Button Key Ring, Ora...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Key Ring, Tropical, K10

    Dorset Button Key Ring, Tro...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Button Key Ring, Cafe au Lait, K12

    Dorset Button Key Ring, Caf...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £10.00

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  • Dorset Singleton Button Hair Clips, Pair, Liberty Print ‘Thorpe’

    Dorset Singleton Button Hai...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £12.00

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  • Kit to Make a Statement Dorset Button, Basket Weave Design, Purple

    Kit to Make a Statement Dor...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit to Make a Statement Dorset Button, Basket Weave Design, Apricot

    Kit to Make a Statement Dor...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit to Make a Statement Dorset Button, Basket Weave Design, Coral

    Kit to Make a Statement Dor...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cross Wheel Buttons, Fern, K25

    Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cros...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £5.00

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  • Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cross Wheel Buttons, Khaki,  K20

    Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cros...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £5.00

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  • Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cross Wheel Buttons, Yellow Ochre, K19

    Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cros...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £5.00

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  • Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cross Wheel Buttons, Yellow, K5

    Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cros...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £5.00

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  • Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cross Wheel Buttons, Primrose, K4

    Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cros...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £5.00

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  • Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cross Wheel Buttons, Turquoise, K12

    Kit to Make 6 x Dorset Cros...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £5.00

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  • Kit for a Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Labyrinth Design BL4

    Kit for a Beaded Dorset But...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit for a Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Triple Vortex Design BV1

    Kit for a Beaded Dorset But...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit for a Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Triple Vortex Design BV2

    Kit for a Beaded Dorset But...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit for a Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Ridge Design BR2

    Kit for a Beaded Dorset But...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit for a Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Ridge Design BR5

    Kit for a Beaded Dorset But...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit for a Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Basketweave  Design BB3

    Kit for a Beaded Dorset But...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Kit for a Beaded Dorset Button Brooch, Basketweave  Design BB4

    Kit for a Beaded Dorset But...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £8.00

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  • Dorset Button Posy Brooch, Bluebells

    Dorset Button Posy Brooch, ...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £12.00

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  • Kit to Make a Dorset Singleton Button in Liberty Print ‘Adeladja’

    Kit to Make a Dorset Single...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £7.00

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  • Chunky Dorset Button Brooch, Cafe au Lait

    Chunky Dorset Button Brooch...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £25.00

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  • Dorset Button Necklace, Citrus

    Dorset Button Necklace, Citrus

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £35.00

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  • Dorset Button Necklace, Fuchsia 'Voodoo'

    Dorset Button Necklace, Fuc...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £35.00

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  • Dorset Button Necklace, Pinks

    Dorset Button Necklace, Pinks

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £35.00

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  • Dorset Button Necklace, Wisteria

    Dorset Button Necklace, Wis...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £35.00

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  • Hand Smocked and Beaded Mustard Silk Hair Clip, H8

    Hand Smocked and Beaded Mus...

    Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

    £15.00

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About Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons

Traditional hand smocking and Dorset button making brought to contemporary usage.

I am a Dalmatian owning crafter lucky to live in a village close to Dorchester in beautiful West Dorset. I've been interested in all sorts of crafts since I was a small child and I was always fiddling with fabric, threads and wool. My granny, who lived upstairs, was very encouraging as was my mother who was also very practical. I knitted from an early age and made my own clothes too.
My career path took me into science, namely medical research and then education but I always returned to my love of craft. I particularly love embroidery and found smocking satisfied the scientific side of my brain with the geometric patterns that can be produced. Smocking is a very old embroidery technique where the stitches are worked on the top of regularly gathered pleats, giving the fabric weight and elasticity. It is a very time consuming process that requires good light and concentration. I've been smocking for nearly 30 years and teaching others the traditional skills for at least 15 years. Recently I have started teaching a more freestyle smocking course to introduce the techniques to a new generation of embroiderers and have produced some simple kits as well.
It was making a traditional smock that introduced me to the delightful and historical Dorset buttons and now I am equally passionate about these. In fact when my son was small we spent a lot of time visiting hospital for out patient appointments and being able to take my button tin with me probably kept me sane! Dorset buttons were first made in the county in the 17th century and formed an important part of the local economy. They were made at home by women and children. Many types were produced with such evocative names as High Tops, Dorset Knobs, Singletons, Grindles, Bird's eyes and all the variations on the Dorset Cross wheel. The industry had virtually collapsed by the time of the Great Exhibition in 1851 when machines were developed that could produce buttons. I teach all levels of button work from beginners to advanced where complex patterns are involved and beads can be introduced. Whilst I make sets of buttons, I also create unique and original items featuring them which make lovely gifts.
Each year I try to enter my smocks and button work into the annual Dorset Arts and Crafts Association exhibition and have been pleased to win trophies and awards on numerous occasions.
Over the years I have developed a range of items that feature smocking and Dorset buttons which I have sold at local craft shows and now from my shop on Folksy. I also undertake commissions for full size traditional smocks as well as buttons. Some of my tiny crosswheel buttons have been seen on the shirt worn by Ross Poldark in the BBC costume drama! Recently I was thrilled to have one of my Dorset Posy Brooches featured in LandScape magazine.
Please visit my website www.rosatkinssmockingdorsetbuttons.co.uk for further information.

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