About Us

Gina-B Silkworks designs & produces a variety of craft kits, books, DVDs & other items with an emphasis on hand textiles and passementerie (textile trimmings). The aim is to encourage and promote many of these almost lost arts, such as button and tassel making, braids, lace making, embroidery, narrow weaving, and other associated crafts. 

When Gina-B Silkworks launched, there were very few button makers and virtually none crafting anything beyond basic Dorset buttons. Since then, through books, television, and, of course, the internet, GBS has contributed to an ever-expanding button-making community. Many teachers now teach our designs and techniques, helping to bring button-making to an even larger audience. In addition, our website has the largest range of button-making supplies and publications, and we are continually adding to this range.

"Traditional Crafts for the Modern Maker"

About Gina-B -

Gina Barrett has been reconstructing buttons, dress trimmings, and other passementerie for museums and costumiers for over 25 years. Her work can be seen in a variety of museums, heritage sites, and stately homes, including the Royal Mews, the Royal Armouries, Historic Royal Palaces, the Chicago Museum of Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, English Heritage, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. 

She has provided buttons, ribbons, and braids for an award-winning project at Perth Museum and hundreds of buttons for the films Napoleon and Sweeney Todd. She has also created buttons and trimmings for various series, including The Crown, Becoming Elizabeth, and A Stitch in Time, as well as a few yet-to-be-released films!

As an avid collector of antique & vintage textile buttons, Gina continues to research and write about both old techniques and newly developed ones. 

She has undertaken two “One Button a Day” challenges to date (2016 & 2020) - making and sharing a new handmade button every day across social media. (onebuttonaday.co.uk)

You can view Gina's bespoke website here - www.gina-b.co.uk