page_title: Shank (sewing)
hierarchical_section_title: Shank (sewing)
caption_attribution_description: English: Spanish metal button circa 1650-1675, 12mm diameter.
context_page_description: A shank is a device for providing a small amount of space in between a garment and a button. Shanks are necessary to provide space for fabric to sit in between the button and the garment when the garment is buttoned. Shanks also allow a garment to hang and drape nicely.
context_section_description: A shank is a device for providing a small amount of space in between a garment and a button.  Shanks are necessary to provide space for fabric to sit in between the button and the garment when the garment is buttoned.  Shanks also allow a garment to hang and drape nicely.
caption: 17th-century Spanish metal shank button (courtesy of Peach State Button Club)
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot S70", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "180", "Image YResolution": "180", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2008:09:28 08:59:53", "Image WhitePoint": "[0, 0]", "Image PrimaryChromaticities": "[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]", "Image YCbCrCoefficients": "[0, 0, 0]", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ReferenceBlackWhite": "[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]", "Image ExifOffset": "368", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1", "EXIF FNumber": "8", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Unidentified", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "[0, 0]", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:09:28 08:59:53", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2008:09:28 08:59:53", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "5", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "0", "EXIF ApertureValue": "6", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "0", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "4294633963/1000000", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "95/32", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "93/16", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3072", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2304", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1081690141/100000", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1081690141/100000", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF ExposureIndex": "0", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "0"}