Tag Archives: buttons

Simple Upcycling Tutorial

Posted on by Abi

It’s that time of year now when we all unpack our hats and scarves. But sometimes you just don’t like them as much as you did last year. Maybe you have a new coat or hairstyle, maybe you just fancy something new. Whatever the reason you shouldn’t just bin last years wares, instead you should up/recycle them into something stylish and new. Here I’m bringing you one really simple and quick way to turn a plain hat and scarf into a gorgeous new item.

What You’ll Need

Hat

Scarf

Buttons

Sewing Needle & Thread

Step 1

To be truly economical you should raid your button stash. If you don’t have any buttons then take a look through your clothes, are there any you were planning to get rid of and could borrow the buttons from? How about making your own (see my previous tutorial here for instructions) or buy some.

Personally I like the buttons to be different sizes, styles and shapes. From a design point of view odd numbers always look better so keep that in mind.

Step 2

Arrange your buttons on the hat until your pleased with the effect, then sew them on. I sewed mine slightly to one side.

Step 3

Repeat the previous step on your scarf.

Step 4

Enjoy your brand new creations!! It really is as quick, simple and cheap as that!

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Hairslide/Clip Tutorial

Posted on by Abi
It felt like time for a tutorial, so today I am going to teach you all how to make a hairclip. These are great for children and adults alike and make fantastic gifts.

What You’ll Need
Small piece of felt
Undecorated Hairclip
Needle
Thread
Buttons
1cm wide ribbon or cotton tape
Step 1
Cut a small length from your ribbon or cotton tape. Sew the ends together and then stitch a long running stitch along one edge, pull your thread to gather the ribbon into a rosette.

Step 2
Cut a rectangle from your felt fabric. This needs to be just slightly longer than your hairslide so the clip will be completely covered when finished. Sew your rosette to one end of the felt. Next sew a button or charm to the other end.
Step 3
Now we need to build up the design, use whatever you fancy, trimming cut offs, lace flowers etc to create the background design. Remember to overlap them slightly.

Step 4

I then used ribbon roses and buttons sewn on top of my fabric background.

Step 5

To finish we have to sew our design onto the hairclip. Flip your design over and lay the hairclip on to the back. There is usually a hole either end that you can sew through. Try to do it from several angles to make sure the clip is secure.

Ta Da! You have a beutiful hairclip!

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Make Your Own Buttons!

Posted on by Abi

If you’ve taken a look at our jewellery then you probably know that we love buttons! We mostly use vintage finds, but sometimes we have a vision and we just can’t find the right colour or size. If you sew or knit you may have found this problem as well. It’s easily solved though by making your own buttons out of polymer clay. Here’s how to make a simple round one:

What You’ll Need

Polymer Clay (I favour Sculpey as it’s very easy to mould)

Moulding Tools

A Needle or Cocktail Stick

A clean mat or work surface

Step 1

First you need to soften the polymer clay, the quickest way is to squash and roll it in the palm of your hands

Step 2

Roll a small ball in your hand, place onto your mat and squash lightly with your finger.

Step 3

Take your needle or cocktail stick and press sewing holes into the circle you’ve made.

Step 4

Admire your finished button. Bake it according to the packet instructions, remember it may need slightly less time as it’s so small. Next try out a few more shapes using your tools. I like making hearts, diamonds, flowers and so on.

I keep all my handmade buttons in a cleaned out Bonne Maman jar (they’re just too pretty to throw away!)

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