Yarn Ball Buttons

One of the things we love about selling our buttons and shawl pins wholesale is working directly with the shop owners and managers.  We get feedback as to what their needs are so we can customize their orders.

Anne from Kelowna Yarn and Needlecrafts in Kelowna, BC requested some buttons that looked like a ball of yarn to go with a sweater she was knitting.  Here she is wearing it, all finished and with the buttons on.

These buttons have a metal shank and so we made some plain buttons for the inside as "backing supports" as you can see here:

We make our own metal shanks with wire.  We have seen how some people use jump rings but I don't see how that could be strong enough for a button with normal wear and tear.  When we make our buttons, we want them to be practical and functional besides just nice looking.  A button for sewing should be made more durable than a jewelry item such as a brooch or earring.

In my tutorial, "Making Beautiful Buttons" I show how you can make your own button shanks and then actually embed them into the clay so no glue is needed.  Glue (no matter what type) tends to dry out and deteriorate after time and if it is intended to go through the wash, glue will not hold up over time.

More of these yarn ball buttons (in other colors) will be available at Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts very soon.

Polymer Clay Buttons

One of the neatest things I discovered about polymer clay was how you could use it to make buttons.  Since I love to sew, buttons are a really great feature as I can make them myself now in an any style or color I wish!  When I sew an outfit, I always end up with left-over fabric which I try to use up every piece and create matching accessories such as a handbag or something for my hair.  I tend to do the same when working with my clay -- especially if there are left-overs of a favorite cane or decorated sheet I made -- and I will make several accessories such as a necklace, pendant or earrings.  Sometimes I will use my left-over pieces to make buttons for a blouse as well, like in the ones shown in the above photo.

I started out making the typical button with holes and then I discovered these button backs from Fire Mountain Gems.  Here are some I first covered using left-over cane slices.

This is a shirt I bought for a really good price.  I loved the color and how it fit but it came with cheap tacky white buttons. 

Before:

 I replaced the buttons with the ones I just made and what a difference it makes!  Now I have my own designer blouse and of course some accessories I have made to go with it which I will show you in my next post.

After: