Here’s a fun craft project that you can have a go at on this weekend – making some rings, hair clips and brooches from old buttons. I don’t know how, but I have collected tons of buttons over the years (I can’t even imagine where some have come from) and now have a box full of them. I occasionally dip into it for a button to replace one I’ve broken on my favorite cardi, and sometimes I can find a matching set to use in a sewing project. But mostly they are odds and ends that will stay in the box forever. And that’s not fair on the poor buttons. So I’ve decided to do something with them because really they are too pretty to leave hidden away in the box.
Firstly, you’ll want to get yourself some ring-backs, brooch blanks or hair clips ready to attach your buttons to, all of which are pretty cheap to buy. I hopped onto Ebay to find the ring backs, but you can easily find hairclips, grips and slides from places like Wholeport and brooch bars from Hobby Craft in the UK. You also need a really super super-glue or an epoxy resin to attach the buttons to the backs. A hot glue gun might do the trick, but they buttons sometimes pop off while you’re wearing them when attached this way – I’ve gone for resin because, as long as you let it dry for long enough, it holds everything in place pretty solidly!