Much Ado About Buttons

Buttons might be a background little detail for you, but since my kids were babies, one of the awesome fascinations in our home has been a very large plastic bag filled with hundreds of different kinds of buttons. One project that I've enjoyed over the years has been to remove ordinary or cheap plastic buttons, and replace them with something a little more creative and original looking. I thought it would be fun to share a creative outlet that can save you a few bucks. New buttons can completely change the look of a shirt or a dress, and can make you feel like you have something new, for very little cost. Sometimes I'll pick something up at a garage sale just for the buttons! Once you start to look for them, they really begin to stand out. If you're still with me...here we go! :0)

Picking out buttons involves the obvious decorative considerations, but you also want to think about whether a button is washable or dry-cleanable, so that it can accompany it's new garment 'home' when it's being cleaned. Then there's the thread and needle, your necessary tools! I like to use a heavier "button" thread. It's thicker, so you don't have to spend as much time stitching loops, and it sometimes has a waxy or polished sheen to it, or a more natural/raw look. You can pick a color that blends, or one that stands out in contrast to the button. You're needle then, will need a larger 'eye' for the thread to fit through, but the needle should not be so large that it can't pass easily through the button's holes.

Once you've got everything you need, there are even more opportunities for creative choices. Buttons can be sewn on in an 'x', or in two straight lines (upright or sideways!), or like a 'birds' foot' (see sketch below). The birds' foot can even look a little floral depending on it's position, and the style of the garment your finishing. You can mix or match your buttons! One of my favorite dresses had 9 buttons down the front. They were all brown, and all the same basic size, but each button was different from the next in texture and appearance. I also altered 2 and 4 hole buttons. As you can see...lots of creative possibilities!

When you finally get to the actual business of attaching the buttons, there are a few tricks to a clean finish. You can get a nice clean look on the outside and on the inside by getting a trim neat knot at the end of your thread, and piercing the TOP side of the fabric first so that the knot hides under the button, and you have nothing but neat loops on the bottom side, and a pretty button on the top. Like this...

Try to keep the thread comfortably firm, not too tight (the fabric will pull and get bunchy), but not too loose either, so that the button fits snugly on the top of your new piece!

Have fun...I would love to see pictures of anything you guys come up with!