Buttons revisited

One good thing about tidying up is that you rediscover things that you had forgotten about. Like these buttons that I made some years back. There was a time when making buttons from polymer clay was all the rage, and I must have made hundreds. Some were used as embellishments on quilts, and handfuls of them were handed into eager little nices' and nephews' hands to take home and play with. I was such a cool auntie, always making things with them and for them, until they became more grown-up than me and too cool to be impressed anymore. Luckily the tide is turning again now, and they are becoming old enough to let go of that cool attitude from time to time - wow, how the years have flown by!

But I digress. The buttons: I used polymer clay rolled into thin sheets and tiny heart- and star-shaped cookie cutters. I added a bit of pattern with the end of a drinking straw, and a darning needle was used to make holes before they were baked. And I see that I've still got some carrot ones too, made to stitch on the snowmen on the kids' Christmas stockings.

The funny thing is, that once I had rediscovered these, I kept coming across articles about making your own buttons via Whip up and Craft Stylish. Have a look at these tutorials: Singleton Buttons, a great alternative to buying those costly kits for fabric covered buttons, and how about these Dorset Buttons made with embroidery cotton. And while we're at it, we can make hand stiched buttonholes too, or how about this Appliqué Buttonhole?