Mr Zookeeper is convinced I have developed a social conscience, and he is not happy about it. This whole school fete thing has been giving me a really great excuse to make some fun stuff I have absolutely no use for and would never bother making otherwise. Like covered buttons. Whoa! Covered buttons, where’s the party I hear you ask. I know right, fun with a capital F. So here’s your invite.
One of the side effects of being a quilting tragic is a spectacular stash of fabric scraps too small to really do anything with, but so pretty and hoardable. They live in a big box under my bed and haunt my dreams day and night. With the promise of a new life for my scraps and maybe even a decent nights sleep how could I go past these babies?
They could not be easier. The basic buttons have two parts, I don’t know what they’re called so lets go with the front and the back bits. Here are some attached to a hair clip.
You cover the front bit with fabric, fold it over, and click the back bit in to hold it all together. Done. No joke, its that easy. And how adorable are they?! I’ve attached these to hair elastics and it totally makes me want to reconnect with my inner 8 year old. Unfortunately I think partnered with my mid thirties exhausted working mum and drinker of too much coffee and wine body and face that would be a bit much for anyone, so instead they are being donated to the school fete.
These are so easy they would be a really cool craft for little girls (sadly not my little girl little, she is still a few years off even having enough hair to use these let alone make them). Or you know, for tragic middle aged mothers with no lives. Hi.
To make these easier I made myself a template. Trace around your button, draw a larger circle around it, and cut out both circles. You can use it to frame the best bits of your fabric for your button. Trace around the outside of your template onto the fabric, then cut it out and centre it on your button front. If you’re not sure about how big to draw your outer circle for the template start large, try it out on a piece of fabric, and if there is too much fabric at the back to fit the back of the button on just cut your outer circle smaller and smaller until you have it right.
Oh, and here’s a bunch I made using school uniform fabric, waiting for their hair elastics.
My dealer for these in Australia was Jackobindi. They sell buttons in every size and in any quantity, plus all sorts of fun stuff to turn your buttons into even more fun stuff. Hair elastics and clips, jewelry settings, magnets, I don’t even know what else, I had to stop looking, my cart was getting too expensive. Or you could go totally way out there and use them as buttons.
So, Mr Zookeeper, while admiring my community mindedness, is becoming increasingly concerned at my spending on ‘craft crap’ (you’d think he’d be used to it by now?). Oh well, what can I say honey, whatever is in the best interests of the school. There is no “I” in fabric covered button hair elastics. Or is there?
zoomonsters 