I have a button-making class coming up on April 22 (Joy’s Fabrics, across from HEB in Stephenville, TX, 10:00 to 12 noon). To get in the spirit, we broke out the polymer clay today. I made a ton of buttons. Eva and Ella joined me at the table, creating objects of their own.
My beginning button classes always include the fabulous swirl button. You twist and turn the clay, roll it into a sausage shape, cut it up, roll it into little balls, and smash the balls of clay under your thumb. Make a depression in the center of the button, stir up some holes for sewing, bake, and voila! Buttons you can use!
I love swirl buttons because you can easily match the colors of a sewing or knitting project, and they are easy to make. You can also use up scraps to make this style. I used bits and pieces left over from polymer clay demonstrations and other projects to make these.
The last time we played polymer was almost two years ago. At the time, I made a beige piece with fuchsia jellyroll slices on it. I had a project in mind, but never was able to finish it. So today I added a top layer of translucent clay coated with gold-colored leaf. When you roll it very thin, the gold leaf cracks. The translucent clay becomes more transparent after baking. The effect is rich because of the gold, and muted because of the thin layer of translucent. You can see the jellyroll slices on the buttons.
What will I do with all these buttons? Well, whenever I get my online store up and running, I will probably sell them. But in the meantime–why do you think I had to start making wall hangings? To sew to my many buttons!
Here’s what the girls made. Three-year-old Ella made “Wallace” (the blue thing), a pendant, and her first button. Hurray, Ella! Ten-year-old Eva made a fish, a tiny container, and, of course, buttons! She’s a veteran button-maker.
Polymer buttons are machine-washable and dryable. Yes, it’s true! They are very durable.