Flower Embellsihed T-Shirt

This is a recent birthday gift I made for one of the family members. Most of the fabric I used for the flowers were remnants from the 1970's hence the psychedelic, hippie look of the top. A few of my vintage buttons are in there too.

New Clearance Section at Etsy Shop

I have a new CLEARANCE SALE section in my Etsy shop. Big savings on some cute handmade items. Stop by The ReFORMatory to see the bargains.

Handmade Pillow Covers

Handmade Pillow Cover, a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.

I finally finished the pillows I made those covered buttons for. The fabric is from the piles of designer samples my girlfriend gave me which I'm always using for my craft. This was one of the few fabrics that I had large samples of, 4 matching pieces about 20" x 24". After looking at them many times and debating what to make with them, I finally realized they would go well in my own living room. And luckily I had some coordinating brown cotton to make the edges with. I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

A Tutorial on Covering Old Shank Buttons

I’m making some pillows for my sofa and needed some large buttons for them. I didn’t find any in my collection whose color satisfied me, but I did find 2 rusty old metal buttons and 2 very plain black plastic ones. I decided to look for fabric to cover them. The piece I found was a ribbed knit (the kind used for neck bands on t-shirts). A woven fabric would probably work better for this project as it won’t stretch around the button as easily, but I found that mine came out well enough to use for my project.

I know it’s easier to just buy a covered button kit, but I hate having to spend money on something new when I have so much stuff that needs to be used up here at home.

Here’s a how-to:

Step 1)

Choose a shank button and cut a circle of fabric about 1/2” to 5/8” larger in diameter than your button.

Step 2)

Sew a tight running stitch around the outside edge of your fabric circle.

Step 3)

Place the button upside down on the wrong side of fabric and pull your thread so that the fabric gathers tight around the button. Securely knot off the thread.

Step 4)

Cut a circle of felt or lightweight pellon smaller than the button but large enough to cover the raw edged on the fabric on the back of button. Cut a slice in the center for the button shank.

Step 5)

Run a circle of glue (I used Ilene’s Ok to wash it) around the stitching. Place the felt on top and press firmly down and secure with some clothespins until dry. I placed a piece of plastic wrap on top so any glue that seeped out wouldn’t stick to the clothespins.

As you can see in the photos, it worked a bit better on the 2 black plastic buttons because they had a recess on the back, but the metal ones are still usable.

Patchwork Purse for The Odd Duck Bazaar

Patchwork Purse a photo by b-a-boop on Flickr.

A new patchwork purse ready for the upcoming Odd Duck Bazaar. The patchwork fabrics are from the 70's. Back then I started forming small patches from a large box of scraps that were going to be a quilt. Eventually I decided some fabrics weren't sturdy enough for the quilt, so I just had a bunch of 4 piece patches. I added a corduroy lining with a pocket & a corduroy shoulder strap and accented it with old buttons. See it for yourself in 2 weeks at the Bazaar.

Now on Etsy too.

YOYO Ponytail Holders

I’ve relisted my YoYo ponytail holders at my Etsy Shop. These lovely vintage yoyos were sewn by my grandmother. I have a bag of some sewn and others, just the cut circle, so eventually I’ll sew them up too. I combined them with some of my old buttons - many of which came from grandma too, but also from my other grandmother, my mom, my mother-in-law, my husbands aunt.

Time to get inspired to use some on other project too.

Making Gifts

There are always so many birthdays and other occasions I need gifts for. More and more lately I’m hand making my gifts. Here are just a few I’ve created lately. A small handbag, a pair of button earrings, a hand painted hat and an upcycled totebag.

Button Ponytail Holders

I often see pontytail holders made with new fabric covered buttons, I prefer to use old and vintage buttons. Old buttons are easy to come by, especially large ones and you can layer buttons together, add fabric and yoyo’s or add beads, each having a unique style.