Add a button

Author: Susan Weinroth

Buttons are one of my favorite embellishments!  I love the fact that they are an everyday-sewing-notion turned scrapbook must-have.  The range of colors and styles and finishes available as “scrapbook-specific”, acid-free embellishments is endless.  I created a few crafty items here, each one showcasing a different button technique, in order to hopefully inspire you to add a button to your next project.

    One of the easiest ways to incorporate buttons onto your projects is to simply add them onto machine stitching lines.  I created this layout about my recent trip to one of the hippest fabric mecas – Purl Soho in NYC.  I wanted the layout to have a very patchwork and textural feel to it. 

I used the Fiskars Ultra ShapeXpress tool and circle template to trim circles from various patterned papers (all by Basic Grey) and adhered them around the edge of the page.  I also used the Fiskars Extra Large and Large Round N Round circle squeeze punch to create smaller circles.

 After the layout looked the way I wanted it to with the various patterned papers and colors, I used my sewing machine to stitch wavy lines at random all over the page.  While stitching some of the lines, I tucked a scrap of fabric into the line as I was stitching it.  After the stitching was complete, I placed buttons all over and sewed them down with a needle and embroidery floss.  Add buttons (Basic Grey and American Crafts) to straight stitched lines, zigzag stitched lines, and fabric scraps.  The result is a fun and vintage-inspired looking page.

Scrapbook embellishment buttons aren’t just for paper…  Try using a variety of buttons to embellish felt instead!   

Use the Fiskars circle template along with MicroTip #5 Scissors to trace and cut various sized circles from different colors of felt.  Create your own garland by machine stitching them all together in a chain. 

Start stitching through the first circle, once you reach the end edge of it – just keep stitching – then once you have the distance you’d like in between garland pieces, tuck the next felt circle under the needle of your sewing machine and repeat the process. 

After creating your garland, use embroidery floss to sew a button to each circle.  Your festive garland can decorate any number of items in your home, or be wrapped around a gift for a fun take of gift wrap.

One final idea to try involves paper piecing.  Use the Ultra ShapeXpress tool and new Fiskars Cupcakes & More shape template to trim a cupcake paper piecing from various colored papers.  Add button “sprinkles” to the top of the cupcake.  My “sprinkle” buttons were so tiny that I didn’t even attempt to sew them down – I simply used a tacky glue to adhere them to the cupcake topper.  Not sewing is totally fine – and also provides a fabulous alternative look for your projects.

After creating my paper pieced cupcake with buttons, I used Fiskars Foam Adhesive to adhere it to the yellow backing, then matted that onto green paper and used Fiskars Scalloped Paper Edgers to trim around the edge of the green for a cute border.  A Fiskars stamp completes the greeting on my card.

I hope that you can find a bit of inspiration in this article – and whether your next project is paper, fabric, or felt – that you want to add a button to something soon!

By Susan Weinroth