Largest button (fastener)

The largest button (fastener) is 2.202 m (7 ft 2.69 in), achieved by Wool Women's Institute (UK), in Dorset, UK, on 7 July 2020.

The group was made up of six people: Tess Burt, Kath Burt, Sandra Housego, Virginia McDermid, Sarah Gardiner and Isabell van Millingen. The average age of the group is 71 and they have become close friends since meeting over the last couple of years.

After seeing a large artwork on the wall of a Wool Shop, Isabell van Millingen was inspired to build the largest button in the world with the group, and decided to construct an outsized Dorset Button for the attempt.

Planning for the large button took about 4-6 weeks, and construction took another 8 weeks. Due to the Covid-19 guidelines, the group could only work on the button one at a time towards the end of the attempt. The largest problem they faced during the creation of the button was building the ‘frame’, due to its sizing and weight. They had never attempted a project of this scale before but were very pleased with the outcome of the attempt.

When asked what being a Guinness World Records title holder would mean to them, the response was: “It would be great as I feel it would promote the Women's Institute and show that we are willing to try anything and we can overcome adversity, particularly just now with the Covid Crisis. The Dorset Button was a traditional Dorset craft and it would be good to let everyone know - particularly WI members - nationwide that we still value local traditions.”