We played with polymer clay a lot in the late 1990s. It was a great way to pass the time during the frequent rainy, gloomy days in Sheffield. And modeling something so pretty and colorful, and then being able to bake it and make it permanent was very compelling. (Still is!)
I made lots of buttons, so five-year-old Eva did, too. She used the different tools and cutters, and sometimes repurposed my millefiori off-cuts. I made this cloth to showcase her buttons, and it hung on her wall for years.
Two things stand out in my memory of those days. As we worked one day, Eva asked, “Mama, what if I become better at this than you are?”
And the other was when she finished the large button in this detail picture. It has nine or ten sew-through holes. “Mama, it’s going to take you a long time to sew on this button, because it has so many holes.”