Small Buttons

Anne from Kelowna Yarn & Needlecraft sent us a picture of an adorable kids cardigan sweater she made with our handcrafted buttons.  This sweater is her class project this fall.  She wanted to use the lady bug buttons but they were a little too large so she attached one to the collar as an accent.  The main buttons she used are our sorbet treats in lime green.

Most of our children's types buttons are now sold individually in the stores rather than in a package.  We have found that this works great for certain styles as some of the colors can mix and match like the toglets used in the sweater shown below created by one of Kelowna Yarn's customers (see the previous blog post here).

Since some of the yarn shops we sell to specialize in baby and children's items, our smaller buttons have become more in demand.  We had requests for even smaller ones such as the Brilliant Blooms and so we came up with the Mini version.

To see what shops sell our buttons and other handcrafted items, you can visit our website page here.

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.

Some knit outfits using our Buttons from Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts

Anne from Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts and her knitter's group has been really busy these knitting up a storm.  Our "Toglet" buttons have been quite popular with the children's wear and here is a sweater with them on.  I love the spring colors.

This gorgeous sweater was by another knitter who used our "Pinstripe" buttons.  The texture used to create these buttons was from one of Helen Breil's, "After the Rain".

You can see more finished knit projects on Kelowna Yarn's facebook page.

Knitting for Children at Kelowna Yarn & Needlecraft

We made a quick trip to the central Okanagan last week to visit the stores that sell our buttons and accessories.  We like to visit at least twice a year so we can meet directly with the store owners and staff and show them our latest designs.  It is also our opportunity to see how things are going and find out any ideas for what special item or buttons they might be in need of or looking for.

One of the shops that sell our handcrafted buttons and shawl pins is Kelowna Yarn & Needlecraft.  The owners, Anne and Stephen, are so friendly and always there to help you out with making your yarn and pattern choices.

Anne is quite busy with her knitters group and teaching classes.  Don't you love the sweater she is wearing?

They specialize in children's items and this sweater was one of their latest class projects.  Those are our buttons that Anne used on it.

They have a nice selection of our smaller type buttons suitable for children's sweaters and such, along with some of our more popular larger size buttons.

I wanted to show you an adorable felted/knit project they did.  This is Pumpkin Peter and Daisy.

New Shops Selling our Work

We are pleased to say that Linda's Quilt Shoppe in Kelowna, B.C. is now selling a selection of our most popular buttons and accessories.  We were really impressed with her large store and the wide selection of colorful fabrics.  The many quilted pieces hanging on the walls and even from the ceilings were fabulous!

They also have a huge classroom for quilting classes and weekend retreats.  Their classes look like a lot of fun and include everything from a "Kid's Sewing Camp" to "Quilt Therapy" and "Quilt til you wilt".

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Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts are now selling our shawl pins as well as our buttons.  The owners, Ann and Stephen, are a warm and friendly couple and Ann is well known for her knitting classes.  If you like to knit, crochet or felt, you can check out the unique patterns they have available on their website.

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The Dragonfly Quilt Studio is rather small but is well organized with a beautiful selection of fabrics and quilting accessories.  Our new scarf jewelry is now for sale in this beautiful shop.  I made this dragonfly design special for April, the owner.

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The 4th location we added to our list of stores that are now selling our work is the Oyama Lake Alpaca Farm in Lake Country which is just east of Kelowna.

Darlene is a fabulous fibre artist who dyes, spins, weaves, knits and felts with the yarn from the alpacas that are raised by her and her husband on their farm.  She sells a large variety of her work in their beautiful Gift Gallery.

We spent some fun time coordinating our shawl pins and scarf jewelry with her beautiful fibre pieces.   Here I am modelling one of our stick shawl pins on a beautiful felted alpaca stole she created. 

I am currently working on some new special pin designs just to go with her beautiful creations.