Frog (fastening)

"Chinese frog" redirects here. For amphibians found in the country of China, see Frogs of China.

Frogs

A frog (sometimes referred to as a Chinese frog) is an ornamental braiding for fastening the front of a garment that consists of a button and a loop through which it passes.

The purpose of frogs is to provide a closure for a garment while decorating it at the same time. Frogs are usually used on garments that appear Asian in design. Tops with a mandarin collar often use frogs at the shoulder and down the front to keep the two sections of the front closed.

Frogs are usually meant to be a design detail that "stands out". Where many frogs are repeated beyond any reasonable needs for fastening, this purely decorative form is termed 'frogging'.

Military uniforms

Barabás Portrait of a Nobleman wearing Hussar Dress (1833)

Frogs and frogging became an important decorative feature on military uniforms from the 17th–19th centuries. This was particular evident for prestigious regiments, especially cavalry or hussars, and gave rise to the German term for frogging in general, 'Husarentressen'. These dolman jackets were tight-fitting and dominated by extensive frogging, often in luxurious materials such as gold, silver or brass metallic cording or brocades.

The frogging was usually far more than was necessary for fastening. In some cases it even became non-functional, with a concealed opening beneath it and the original jacket opening becoming a false detail. By the later 19th century, for lower grade uniforms down to postmen, telegraph boys and hotel pages, the frogging cordage would be retained as a decoration but there would be no corresponding toggle or opening with it.

Sewing

Many sewers make their own frogs because the results are customizable. Self-fabric can be used to create frogs that are the same color as the garment, though frogs are usually chosen to be a contrasting color to that of the garment.

Frogs are made by looping and interlocking the cording or fabric tube into the desired design, then securing the places where the cords touch by hand-sewing. The frog is then stitched onto a garment, usually by hand. When a fabric tube is used, the fabric is cut on bias. This allows the fabric tube to remain smooth and flex easily when bent into curves.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frogs (fasteners).

Singer 101 Sewing Secrets by The Editors of Cy DeCosse Incorporated, ISBN 0-86573-249-3.

Sewing

Techniques	Basting Cut Darning Ease Embellishment Fabric tube turning Floating canvas Gather Godet Gusset Heirloom sewing Shirring

Stitches	List of sewing stitches Backstitch Bar tack Blanket Blind stitch Buttonhole Catch stitch Chain stitch Cross-stitch Embroidery stitch Hemstitch Lockstitch Overlock Pad stitch Pick stitch Rantering Running Sashiko Stoating Tack Topstitch Zigzag

Seams	Felled seam Seam allowance Style line

Notions Trims	Bias tape Collar stays Elastic Grommet / Eyelet Interfacing Passementerie Piping Ruffle Rickrack Self-fabric Soutache Trim Twill tape Wrights

Closures	Buckle Button Buttonhole Frog Hook-and-eye Hook and loop fastener Shank Snap Zipper

Materials	Bias Yarn / Thread Selvage Textiles / Fabrics

Tools	Bobbin Dress form Needle threader Pattern notcher Pin Pincushion Pinking shears Scissors Seam ripper Sewing needle Stitching awl Tailor's ham Tape measure Thimble Tracing paper Tracing wheel

Trades Suppliers	Cloth merchant Draper Dressmaker Haberdasher Mercer Sewing occupations Tailor

Sewing machine manufacturers	Barthélemy Thimonnier Bernina Brother Industries Elias Howe Elna Feiyue Frister & Rossmann Janome Jones Sewing Machine Company Juki Merrow New Home Pfaff Sewmor Singer Tapemaster Viking / Husqvarna White

Pattern Manufacturers	Butterick Burda Clothkits McCall's Simplicity

Glossary of sewing terms

Clothing materials and parts

Garment Structures	Armscye Collar Cuff Dart Facing Fly Lapel Gore Hem Lining Placket Pleat Pocket Revers Ruffle Shoulder pad Strap Sleeve Train Waistband Yoke

Cloth materials	Cotton Elastic Fur Linen Nylon Polyester Rayon Silk Spandex Wool

Skins	Artificial Calf Cattle Deer Goat Kangaroo Ostrich Seal Shark Sheep Snake

Fasteners	Back closure Belt hook Buckle Button Buttonhole Frog Shank Hook-and-eye Hook and loop Velcro Snap Zipper

Seams	Neckline Bustline Waistline Hemline

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

Frog (fastening)

Military uniforms

Sewing

See also

References