Fabric Covered Button Uses

Last week I shared with you a tutorial on how to make fabric covered buttons. In the comments Melinda asked me what she could do with the buttons after she’d made them. Below are just a few ways I’ve thought of, though I’m sure there are many more! If you can think of another use for these buttons, let me know in the comments!

1. Use Them As Regular Buttons

Making a new vest or button up shirt? Need to add a button to the top of your new skirt? Fabric covered buttons are the PERFECT way of getting a button that matches!

Of course, my style would be making a fabric covered button that DOESN’T match your piece of clothing- but whatever floats your boat!

Image Source

2. Use Them As Decorations & Embellishments

Fabric covered buttons can be used as decorations in the same way regular buttons can. Use them in artwork and patchwork as embellishments. I personally love using button in scrapbooking, and wouldn’t it be so cute to make a fabric covered button that MATCHED what someone was wearing in the photos!

They can also be embellishments for your clothes as well. Don’t be shy! Make them out of fantastic patterns and spruce up an old dress into something new and wonderful!

3. Use Them On Handmade Bags

One of the benefits of fabric covered buttons is that you can match the button to the item it’s on! Made a cute purse? Match the fabric to tie it all in, or maybe match the binding and the button to add some contrast. As you would have seen from the top picture in the tutorial, I use them on the iPhone cases I sell.

4. Turn them Into Jewelry.

These buttons are a great starting point for lots of different bit of jewellery. You can turn them into earrings, rings, broochs or necklaces, you just need to get creative! With a bit of beading wire you can make fantastic things!

5. Use Them In Gift Wrapping

Threading buttons through ribbon is a pretty, unique way to wrap a gift, and an easy way to hold the ribbon together!

There are lots more things you could use these buttons for, you’re only limited by your imagination! Add your ideas in the comments below!

Tags: buttons, diy, fabric covered buttons, list

Tutorial: How To Make Fabric Covered Button

In the first ‘series’ of iPhone cases I made, I used fabric covered buttons to close the cases. As Luke pointed out, buttons aren’t the quickest thing to open if your phone is ringing, so in this new series of cases I’ve made the buttons ornamental, and used either velcro or clips instead. It’s not quite as aesthetically pleasing, but it does make it easier to open…

Anyway, here’s a tutorial on how to make your own fabric covered buttons. In the tutorial you can see I’ve used a scrap of fabric which is in the case, so it matches, but you can also do some embroidery on them first, like I did for that swap ages ago…

Supplies:

Scrap of fabric
Birch button making kit (you can get these from Spotlight or Lincraft
Pencil (or any smallish blunt object you can push with)
Fabric Scissors

Process:

Before we go through the steps, make sure you have everything in the kit. You should have a red rubber base, and a yellow rubber ‘top’ which fits inside the red piece. You should also have a metal ‘cover’, and a white plastic piece (this is the main foundation of the button). Sometimes the metal casing will already be over the white plastic. If this is the case, just flick it off with your finger nails, or something thin an sharp (a nail file works well).

Step One: Take the red base, and place your scrap of fabric inside, right side DOWN. Push it down a bit with a pencil or something similar.

Step Two: Place your metal cover on top (the edges should face up), and using your pencil, again, push it down. Sometimes this won’t sit perfectly, and that’s where the pencil comes in handy.

Cut the excess fabric off from around the button. A good guide is that all the fabric should sit inside the button without overlapping, so the fabric you leave should be approximately equal to the radius of the button.

If you’re unsure of how much to leave, then be cautious, you can always cut more off later.

Step Three: Once you’ve securely tucked all your excess fabric into the button, place the white button piece on top (flat surface down). Place your yellow ‘top’ over it (flat bit should be on the top), and press down HARD. I am not strong enough sometimes, so I stand on them… :-/

Below is a photo (the one with me holding the button) where you can see the button has been pushed in hard enough. You should be able to see the edges of the fabric the entire way around the button.

Take the yellow piece off, and then take the button out (the red rubber is flexible, so you can squeeze the button out). Your button is finished!!

5 Simple Reasons Why You Should Go To That Blog Meetup

The blog meetup I went to the other day was so much fun, I wanted to share with you all a few reasons why you should definitely go to the next meetup in your area, particularly because I know quite a few south-east queensland bloggers who didn’t go to this one!

Photo by Zoe

1. Neworking

The people at these meetups might have never read your blog before, and you may have never read theirs. But for all you know, you might have similar interests, or have a skill the other person needs! The people you meet there are potential knowledge sources, advertisers, advertising opportunities, friends, colleuges, and helpers for all manner of things!

2. Putting a face to the name

Maybe you have a few blogs you’ve been reading for months, maybe even years. You’ve commented, emailed, and maybe even chatted on facebook or twitter. But wouldn’t it just be awesome to have a real face, a personal interaction to accompany the blog!

4. Making Friends

If you read the blogs of some of the people there, then you’re already past the first, awkward, stages of friendship. The part where you ask them, “What do you do?”, “Do you like XYZ?” etc. You already kind of KNOW them, so you can get straight into the laughing, and secret handshakes!

5. Moving Forward.

I have a bit of a theory about moving forward. It’s either that, or backwards. Oh, and also that it’s a choice you have to make as to which direction you go! Going to meetups is a great way to move your blog forward and gain a new experience!

Bonus Point:

6. It’s not scary.

You might think it’s scary, but it’s not. Everyone’s probably just as nervous as you, and probably doesn’t know anyone either! Just get your things together, follow helpful tips from other bloggers, and GET THERE! There is more chance that you will regret not going, (you’ll miss out of meeting all those awesome people), then if you did go.