Making Button and Bead Covered Bobby Pins

I keep seeing cute little bobby pins with buttons glued on the ends, and decided to try my hand at making a few.  Up 'til just last fall I had knee length hair, and bobby pins were a mainstay, but I usually wore a style that hid them.  Now my hair is much shorter, and I would like to revamp my collection of accessories.

I don't much like glue -and certainly don't want globs of glue in my hair, so I wanted to avoid using it. 

I made the first few "test" versions of very cheap plastic buttons, using 6-strand embroidery floss.  The floss being so flexible made it easy to work with, but the abrasive action of threading it through the buttons and around the metal of the pin shredded it pretty quickly, so I switched to fishing line.

It took me a few tries to come up with a technique that worked for me, using a variety of buttons and beads in various sizes and styles. This is the method that has -so far- given me the best results.

If you want to give it a whirl, you'll need:


Clear Fishing line (I used 12 lb)
A 3" doll needle or long beading needle
A hand sewing needle in a small size (I think I used a size 11)
A collection of buttons & beads
6-Strand Embroidery floss in colors that look nice with your buttons and beads
Bobby Pins

I started by cutting a section of fishing line about 2 feet long.  I discovered early on longer is better, but too long tangles.  So two feet seems about right. I folded it in half, and ran the ends through two of the holes on the first button (through the front, to the back). Then I crossed the lines and brought the ends back through to the front, wound it around the button, then slid it between the posts of the bobby pin.  From there, I just repeated the same steps through the other holes, adding buttons as I went until it was covered.

The back (smooth) post is your friend; you can wrap the line around it as many times as you'd like to hold the buttons securely.  But you can also just wind the line around between the button and the post to give it some extra height & to give it a bit of "wiggle room" so you can adjust it a tiny bit once it's in your hair.

Once all the buttons were secured, I ran the line back up parallel with the post to the very first button, and tied it off to ensure everything was secure.

Next, I threaded the needles with three strands of embroidery floss, and ran it through the holes of the buttons to hide the line, and give the impression they're sewn on.

To make the whole thing more hair friendly, once I was sure I was happy with it I used more embroidery floss to make blanket stitches that covered the back post (behind the buttons) and prevented the fishing line from abrading my hair strands.

All total, the fanciest versions took about an hour at first, and about half an hour once I really got the hang of it.  It's a fun little project, and if you use buttons and beads you really love you'll have a little piece of wearable art when you're done.

Once you feel you've mastered the basic techniques, consider the possibilities of adding beads, charms, feathers, or other found objects to make truly one-of-a-kind pieces.

Your Button Shop is live and well!

After nearly two years, yourbuttonshop.com is finally live -and well- again. :)  I'm happy and excited with the new shopping cart features, easier PayPal check out system, new categories and lots of new product listings.

If you're looking for buttons, you'll find 'em there!  Stop by and check it out -and don't miss the random, one-day-only sales.

Storage of Buttons and Beads

Proper Storage of Buttons and Beads

Nothing is prettier than a decorative jar filled with beautiful buttons or beads sitting on a side table or grouped with some family mementos on the mantle.  But, it's really not good for the buttons.  Everytime the jar is moved, the buttons will clink against the glass sides and against each other, causing tiny nicks and cracks. It can cause metal, mother-of-pearl or painted buttons to become badly scratched and glass ones may even break. Large cookie tins or deep canisters used to hold a big collection that have to be poured out or dug through is just as harmful.

Better solutions:

The plastic storage bins with slide-out drawers marketed for nuts, bolts, and small tools.  You can find them in all sizes at hardware stores.  I've also seen beautiful wooden "apothecary cabinets" with very small drawers that would be perfect.

A felt-lined jewelry box with individual compartments for rings and small items.

Clear plastic bead boxes with individual compartments.

Individual "gem jars" -little storage jars with a clear lid and a foam cushion will protect your favorites from just about any kind of damage.

Contact lens cases or plastic pill organizers.

The little metal candy tins available in supermarkets.  Paint and embellish the outsides and line them with a few layers of pretty tissue paper for a nice work of altered art that doubles as personalized storage.  Some fancier chocoates come in nice boxes with partitions that would work nicely, too.

A three-ring binder filled with business card sleeves. Most pages will hold ten or twelve buttons, and several pages can be put into a single binder and still allow it to close.

Give each button or bead an individual plastic zipper bag, and pin them to a corkboard.

Stitch them to a piece of fabric, and wrap the fabric around the cardboard insert in a cute frame.

Stitch them all to a wide piece of ribbon, and tack or staple the ribbon along a wall of your sewing room or creative space.

If you really can't give up the spice rack or the old Mason jars, fill them with inexpensive plastic craft buttons. They are just as colorful and decorative as Grandma's bohemian collection, but without the potential for damage.

Caring for Buttons

Help! the garment is washable but the button isn't.

If a button isn't washable, but you want to use it on an item that is,
there are several ways to do so.

Buttons come with all kinds of care instructions, from "machine
washable" to "dry clean only" to "don't even think about cleaning it".
I can't advise you much on the last one, other than to say that usually
a little bit of rubbing with a dry tissue is probably good enough to
remove most grime.


The question is how to use an untreated wooden, horn, or very delicate glass button on a garment you want to be able to toss in the machine or have dry cleaned.

So, here's a few suggestions:


Wash by hand. Most buttons can withstand a bit of water. It's the rough
action of the washing machine (or worse, the dryer) that causes the
problem. Glass buttons that get thrown against the agitator or the
metal dryer walls will get nicked or broken. So, washing the garment by
hand in the sink, then line drying it will solve the problem. Face it,
most of us don't get our clothes filthy enough to require scrubbing,
and if we did, we wouldn't want to put beautiful, handmade buttons on
them anyway.

Cover them. A little bit of aluminum foil to cover the buttons may help
protect them from water damage, and dry cleaning fluids. A layer of
paper toweling, bubble wrap, foam, quilt batting or similiar under the
foil may also help by serving as padding in case of none-too-gentle
treatment. Afterward, just remove the materials and polish the button a
bit with a tissue.

Glass buttons can usually be dry cleaned with no ill effects, however
if they're painted the paint might come off with some solvents. Talk to
your dry cleaner beforehand, and consider covering them with aluminum
foil for protection.

Don't sew them on. A tiny safety pin instead of stitching will hold on
most buttons. It's invisible with most shanked buttons, but won't be
too noticible on drilled ones. After wearing, simply remove the buttons
and have the garment cleaned. For a more permanent fix, sew the button
onto the back of the safety pin, making a thread shank. Then, attach to
the garment before wearing. The extra few minutes spent getting dressed
will be well worth it when you start getting compliments on your
gorgeous outfit.

--As a side note, this method has an advantage, especially for home
sewists. One set of nice buttons can be used on several garments. If
you reuse the same tried-n-true patterns, you can make up two or three
of the same garment, then buy one set of gorgeous buttons that will
work for all of them.--

In the case of unfinished / untreated wooden buttons that can't be
soaked, dampen a cloth in a bit of water with a drop or two of wood
soap like Murphy's, then just wipe them clean. Cover (completely seal)
them with aluminum foil and hand-wash the garment

Most horn buttons can be washed, but shouldn't be immersed for very
long. Use a short, gentle washing cycle, and they should be fine.

Buttons come with all kinds of care instructions, from "machine
washable" to "dry clean only" to "don't even think about cleaning it".
I can't advise you much on the last one, other than to say that usually
a little bit of rubbing with a dry tissue is probably good enough to
remove most grime.

If I think of or hear of any other good methods, I'll post them. And if
you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them -just drop me a
message. In the meantime, don't let finiky care instructions stop you
from using and enjoying beautiful buttons, even on washable items. :)

~DragonLady

PS: Please note that these instructions are intended for buttons that
will be used and enjoyed, NOT for antiques, one-of-a-kind heirlooms or
collectible buttons. If you have or suspect you have an irreplaceable
item, please contact a restoration service or someone who can identify
what your button is made of and can give you professional advice. The
National Button Society is a good place to find someone knowledgeable
about your particular specimen.
http://www.nationalbuttonsociety.org/Home.html

Choosing Buttons and Making Buttonholes

Choosing Buttons & Making Buttonholes

A ligne is the international standard for measuring a button’s diameter. Domed, thicker, or handmade buttons may require a larger buttonhole. Variations in measurement often occur, so all button sizes should be considerate approximate.

Ligne	Millimeters	Inches
14	9.2	.362
16	10.5	.413
18	11.6	.457
20	12.5	.492
21	13.5	.531
22	14.2	.559
23	14.8	.583
24	15.0	.590
27	16.8	.661
28	17.8	.701
30	19.0	.748
32	20.5	.807
34	21.5	.846
36	22.9	.902
40	25.5	1.00

If the button has a shank, the width of the shank also varies, and needs to be considered when determining the placement of the buttonhole on a garment.

Buttonholes:

The buttonhole needs to be large enough to comfortably accomodate the button. If it's too small, the buttonhole will eventually rip or the button itself will become detached (and maybe lost), and need to be replaced. If you've used one-of-a-kind buttons, you may have to replace them all. So err on the side of making the buttonhole a tiny bit larger if neccesary.

Generally, the length of a buttonhole is determined by the diameter of the button, plus 1/8". For ball, jeweled, or oddly-shaped buttons, it may be neccesary to allow a bit more. Always make a test buttonhole or two on a scrap of the garment fabric before hand, so you can set your thread tension, test the stitching, and make certain the button will go through the hole and stay in place once the garment is fastened.

If you're using a sewing machine that holds the button while making the buttonholes, I suggest that when using handmade buttons you make each buttonhole to a specific button, then make a little note of which goes where.

Garment Design and Construction:

When the center of a button is placed on the center line of a garment pattern block, half of it will extend to the right, and half to the left of the center. This makes it neccesary to extend the center edge. The width of the extension should equal the diameter of the button.

The buttonhole extends at least 1/16" to the left of the garment to allow for a shank button. If a button has a very wide shank, measure the shank and extend the buttonhole to the left of the center by half the measurement of the shank. The length of the shank does not change the size of the buttonhole.

On a neckline, with or without a set-in collar, the buttonhole is placed one-half the diameter of the button plus 1/4" away from the neckline.

A garment without a belt should have a button placed exactly on the waistline to maintain close fit. For coats or suits, the button may be placed up to 1/2" above or below the waistline if the overall appearance is improved.

For a garment with a belt, plan and mark the buttonholes above and below the waistline so that the belt or buckle will be at least 1 1/2" away from the buttons.

After determining the position of the neckline and the waistline, divide the remaining space by the number of buttonholes you want. On a woman's garment, try to place a button right at bust level to prevent the garment from gapping open.

Women's garments always button right over left.

A few more notes for better buttonholes:

~Don't skip or skimp on interfacing in this area. Use the same pattern piece for interfacing as for the fashion fabric where buttons and buttonholes will be placed, so the interfacing extends all the way to the edge of the fabric.

~To mark the buttonholes for stitching, trace them onto a piece of onion skin tracing paper, pin the paper to the fabric, and stitch through it. This is usually more accurate then trying to mark on the fabrics, and eliminates worry about whether the marks will be competely removable.

~Just before stitching the buttonhole, give the lines and the area around them a few small whacks with a hammer. Not too hard, just a quick smack-smack-smack will flatten and smooth that area so your sewing machine will run a little better.

Site Stats: I'm listening!

I've been reading my site stats since the day I started this little biz.  I read the stats provided by my server, and then I read the information available at Google Analytics, and finally, I spend a half hour or more everyday poring over my Etsy statistics.

And I promise I'm paying attention.

My stats make it very clear that a huge number of people are always looking for unusual buttons and buttons that are not readily available at the big box stores.  In the coming months, I will try to start adding more items that are further away from the beaten path.

More buttons with  fantasy, mythical, or magical themes.  Mermaids, dragons, fairy castles, and fairy tale icons seem to be popular.  I'll be trying to add some of those next. 

More novelty buttons in more shapes and sizes, and more in themes that are appropriate for boy's clothing, crafts, and activities.  I see the terms 'race cars', 'dinosaurs' and bugs are high on the list.  So I will see what I can do.

More horn and bone buttons.  For those, I will probably have to import directly from Asia.  I'll see what I can do.  One of the biggest drawbacks is the enormous shipping costs and the duty taxes.  I hope these will also be what is meant by the terms "primitive" and "tribal" which I see occasionally.  The buttons from Asia are usually less finished and more 'rough' in appearance, which I like.  A row of less-than-perfect horn buttons one a leather jacket or even a tailored coat is a nice juxtaposition, I think.

Of course, the fancy glass buttons and larger buttons for handbags and scrapbooks are always popular, so I'll keep my eye out for more of them.  

I also do take special orders, so if you are looking for something and just cannot find it, let me know and I'll try to help. 

Vintage La Mode Buttons

I took the plunge and ordered a few of these. :D

Okay, so let's face it: most buttons exist in our lives to fasten our clothes.  If we make our own clothes, and carefully choose fabrics, linings, trims, threads, and whatever else our new favorite garment requires, we usually choose buttons as fasteners first.  We might agonize over a choice like 'blue or gray?' or 'do I want leather or wood?'.  But sometimes, we really want a button that stands out, a button that makes the garment. 

Under those circumstances, I usually think of Czech glass or rhinestones.  But...sometimes those are just too formal or too fussy.  To me, these fit the bill very nicely.  Most of them are metal, so they can be washed and dry cleaned. They're fancy and memorable, but not over-the-top.  They're vintage styles, but they don't look outdated. 

My personal favorites: 

How about ten or more of these running down the back of a dress?

One of these at the collar of a plain white shirt?

 

I expect them to arrive on Monday, August 27th; but they are available for preorder now.