Jackie Moreno is president of the Jersey Shore Button Club, and her husband, Matt, paints studio buttons and button cards.
Here she tells about her “button life.”
Jackie Moreno
My interest in buttons began as a young child. My mother had many of my clothes made by a seamstress, hence, buttons always fascinate me.
Many years passed and I went to the Fashion Institute, where I combined fashion and fabrics. I also worked at B. Altman in NYC, where fashion really became my passion.
One day, 16 years ago, Matt and I were in the Point Pleasant Pavilion and were fortunate to meet Marilyn Jost. She invited me to join the Jersey Shore Button Club. About a year later, Matt (retired at the time) joined the group also.
My husband always worked as an artist. He owes his work on buttons to a former member, the late Alicia Martin, who encouraged him to translate his artistic talent on to buttons. It was collecting and painting that we could do together.
Though Matt is recovering from a fall, and had three weeks in ‘rehab — thanks to email, phone calls from button buddies, and cards, I am making time for buttons again.
Right now, I’m mounting some wonderful small 18th century metal buttons, but my favorite buttons will always be glass.
New Jersey State Button Society 