Today was perfect for a button class outside at Joy’s Fabrics, which is in the shaded alcove of a shopping center. Seventeen ladies arrived around 10 o’clock, and we started by making pretend-lapis buttons. They are ultramarine blue with flecks of gold. Tiny amounts of white and translucent make them look startlingly natural. They are very easy to make. The secret to success is to grate the clay.
Our second project was a swirl button, my favorite button to teach. For one thing, the style is easy to make and most people are extremely pleased with the results. Participants pick two or three main colors, and one accent color for their buttons. One lady commented, “You can almost guess whose buttons are whose, looking at the clothes they are wearing.”
But people often pick colors I would never think to put together. Among others, I loved Sandy’s denim blue, orange, white and sparkle-clay. Another lady used green with the orange, white, and sparkle, which had a completely different and pleasing look.
When I see them swirled together and made into buttons, I am pleasantly surprised at how good they look together. The people who take my workshops help me look at color from a different perspective.
While we waited for the last batches of buttons to bake, we walked a couple of doors down the way, to Just Burgers, and ordered lunch. The burgers were just like homemade, with thick meat patties and fresh vegetables. Joy tempted us with a cake that her mother won at a cake walk. What a good way to wind up the class.
The group, called the Busy Bees, usually meets the third Saturday of each month at Joy’s Fabrics (Washington Street, across from HEB, in Stephenville, TX), 10 a.m. to noon. Most meetings have a show and share, and a certain project that the group discusses. Making purses will be the topic for the next couple of meetings. The Busy Bees don’t collect dues, but people often bring treats to share at meetings.