About Vintage on Velvet Designer – Kathleen Imhoff

As a designer, I am interested in creating unique, beautiful jewelry for people to enjoy. I found velvet;antique buttons and vintage jewelry combine well in my one of a kind jewelry designs. I love both the luxurious soft feel of velvet and repurposing vintage items to preserve them for future generations.

I spent many childhood hours sitting beside my grandmother as she sewed on her foot pedal operated 1910 Singer sewing machine. When I became tired, she would give me the button box to explore. I remember hundreds of buttons – smooth, bumpy, round, square, gold, silver, wood, in rainbows of colors, with pictures, designs or “diamonds” in the middle.

To my foremothers, the button box was a temporary storage space of useful items waiting to be reused. To me, the button box was a treasure box. Re-discovering my grandmother’s button box provided me the inspiration for my jewelry.

My Vintage on Velvet jewelry line is a tribute to all the grandmothers, mothers and aunts who removed buttons from worn clothing and saved them. Since vintage/antique buttons are treasures from my past, I rework them on velvet as befitting their status as works of art.

My jewelry can be viewed at my Vintage on Velvet Gallery.