Got a jar, tin, or box overflowing with buttons? Those little fasteners, often overlooked or collected over years, are actually tiny treasures waiting to be transformed! Button crafts are fantastic for kids – they’re colourful, tactile, relatively inexpensive, and offer endless possibilities for creativity. Forget complicated supplies; with just buttons, glue, and a few basic materials, you can unlock hours of imaginative fun. Let’s dive into some simple, engaging button craft ideas perfect for little hands: creating vibrant mosaics, designing unique jewelry, and jazzing up clothes and accessories.
Button Mosaics: Painting with Buttons
Think of buttons as chunky, colourful pixels! Button mosaics are a wonderful way for children to create pictures, patterns, and textures. It’s like painting, but instead of paint, you’re using buttons. This activity is great for developing fine motor skills, colour recognition, and patience.
Getting Started with Mosaics
What you’ll need:
- A sturdy base: Thick cardboard, cardstock, a piece of wood, a canvas panel, or even the lid of a sturdy box works well.
- Buttons, buttons, and more buttons! A variety of sizes, colours, and shapes makes it more interesting.
- Glue: White craft glue (like PVA) works well for paper or card bases. For wood or canvas, or for a stronger, quicker hold (with adult supervision), a low-temp hot glue gun or a strong craft glue might be better.
- Optional: A pencil for sketching a design first.
- Optional: Paint or markers to colour the base before starting.
Creating Your Masterpiece
First, decide on a design. Younger children might enjoy simple shapes like hearts, stars, or circles, or just filling a space with random colours. Older kids could try sketching animals, flowers, landscapes, letters (like their initials), or abstract patterns onto the base with a pencil. Sorting buttons by colour or size beforehand can make the process smoother and more organized, though sometimes diving into a mixed pile is part of the fun!
Once the design is ready (or if you’re going freeform), start gluing! Apply a small dot of glue either directly onto the base or onto the back of a button, then press the button firmly onto the base. Continue placing buttons side-by-side, trying to fill the shape or area. You can place them tightly together for a dense look or leave small gaps where the base colour can peek through. Encourage kids to think about colour combinations and how different sizes can create texture. Layering smaller buttons on top of larger ones can also add dimension. Let the mosaic dry completely before displaying it – this might take several hours depending on the glue used.
Mosaic Ideas to Spark Imagination:
- Nature Scenes: Blue buttons for sky, green for grass, brown for tree trunks, colourful buttons for flowers or leaves.
- Animal Shapes: Outline an animal shape and fill it in – a yellow duck, a black and white penguin, a multicoloured fish.
- Abstract Patterns: Create swirls, stripes, checkerboards, or random bursts of colour.
- Monogram Magic: Decorate the first letter of their name.
- Frame It: Glue buttons around the edge of a plain picture frame to give it a pop of personality.
Button Jewelry: Wearable Art
Who needs expensive beads when you have beautiful buttons? Creating button jewelry is a delightful way for kids to design their own accessories or make thoughtful handmade gifts. It’s amazing how easily a few pretty buttons can become a stylish necklace, a quirky bracelet, or even a fun ring.
Jewelry Making Supplies
What you’ll need:
- Buttons: Look for buttons with interesting colours, shapes, textures, or patterns. Shank buttons (with a loop on the back) are easy to string, but two-hole and four-hole buttons work great too.
- Stringing material: Elastic cord is perfect for stretchy bracelets and necklaces. Nylon thread, embroidery floss, or thin jewelry wire can also be used.
- Needles: A needle with an eye large enough for your chosen thread (if not using elastic cord that can be threaded by hand).
- Optional: Scissors, jewelry findings (like clasps, jump rings, earring hooks, ring bases), pliers (for manipulating wire or findings – adult help needed), small beads (to use as spacers).
Crafting Button Accessories
Necklaces and Bracelets: This is often the simplest place to start. Cut a length of elastic cord long enough to fit around the neck or wrist, plus extra for tying off. Thread buttons directly onto the cord. Kids can create patterns, alternate colours, or stack buttons. For flat buttons with holes, you can thread through two holes to make them lie flat, or thread through diagonally or vertically for different effects. Small beads can be added between buttons as spacers. Once finished, tie the ends of the elastic cord together securely with a double or triple knot. If using thread or wire, you might want to add clasps to the ends for easier wearing (this usually requires jump rings and possibly pliers).
Rings: Find a standout button! You can glue a flat-backed button directly onto a plain adjustable ring base (available at craft stores) using strong craft glue or hot glue. Alternatively, you can make the entire ring from buttons and thread/wire. Thread a few small, flat buttons onto a piece of sturdy thread or thin wire, arrange them in a small arc, and tie or twist the ends together to form a ring band, securing the button(s) on top.
Earrings: Choose small, lightweight buttons for earrings. Shank buttons are easiest – simply open a jump ring (using pliers if needed), loop it through the button shank and an earring hook finding, and close the jump ring. For flat buttons, you might need to sew a small loop of thread through the holes on the back to attach the jump ring, or carefully glue a flat-pad earring post to the back. Ensure the buttons aren’t too heavy for little ears.
Remember that many buttons are small and can be a choking hazard for very young children. Always supervise craft time, especially when using small parts, sharp needles, or hot glue guns. Safety first makes crafting fun for everyone! Ensure jewelry, especially necklaces, isn’t made too tight.
Decorating Clothes and Accessories: Button Bling
Give plain t-shirts, boring bags, or old jeans a fabulous makeover with buttons! This is a fantastic way to introduce basic sewing skills or to use fabric glue for a no-sew option. It encourages upcycling and lets kids put their personal stamp on their belongings.
Adding Button Embellishments
What you’ll need:
- Buttons: All sorts! Match colours to the item or go for a contrasting rainbow look.
- Items to decorate: T-shirts, denim jackets, jeans, canvas bags, hats, headbands, shoes (canvas sneakers work well).
- Needle and thread: Choose thread that matches the fabric or the buttons, or use a contrasting colour for effect.
- Fabric glue: For a no-sew alternative, though sewing is generally more durable, especially for items that will be washed frequently.
- Optional: Scissors, pins to hold buttons in place before sewing/gluing.
Ways to Decorate
Sewing Buttons On: This is the most secure method. Thread a needle and tie a knot at the end. Decide where you want the first button. Push the needle up from the inside of the fabric, through one hole of the button, and down through another hole. Repeat this a few times to secure the button, then tie off the thread securely on the inside of the fabric. Kids can sew on single buttons randomly, create patterns like flowers (a central button surrounded by petal buttons), spell out words, or make borders along hems or pockets.
Using Fabric Glue: If sewing isn’t an option or you want a quicker method, fabric glue works well, especially for items that won’t be machine washed often (like bags or hats). Apply a generous dot of fabric glue to the back of the button or directly onto the fabric where you want the button to go. Press the button firmly in place and let the glue dry completely according to the manufacturer’s instructions (this can take 24 hours or more for full strength). Gluing is great for creating dense clusters of buttons or covering larger areas.
Creative Placements:
- Replace boring buttons on a shirt or cardigan with fun, colourful ones.
- Add a cluster of buttons to the pocket of a t-shirt or jeans.
- Create a button flower garden on a canvas tote bag.
- Sew or glue buttons along the strap of a headband.
- Make patterns on canvas sneakers (use strong fabric glue or E6000-type adhesive for shoes).
- Decorate the cuffs or collar of a denim jacket.
Tips for Button Craft Success
- Sort First: Tip out your buttons and sort them by colour, size, or style. This makes finding the perfect button easier and can be a fun activity in itself.
- Choose the Right Glue: White PVA glue for paper/card, fabric glue for fabric (check if it’s washable), strong craft glue or low-temp hot glue (adult use only) for faster adhesion or non-porous surfaces.
- Supervise Closely: Especially with hot glue, sharp needles, small buttons (choking hazard), or pliers.
- Embrace Imperfection: Crafts made by kids are special because they are unique. Don’t worry about perfectly straight lines or exact patterns. Let their creativity flow!
- Start Simple: Begin with easier projects like basic mosaics or elastic bracelets before moving to more complex sewing or jewelry techniques.
Button crafts offer a wonderful blend of creativity, skill-building, and good old-fashioned fun. They teach resourcefulness, showing how everyday objects can become materials for art. Whether making a sparkling mosaic, a piece of personalized jewelry, or adding flair to clothing, working with buttons is a rewarding experience for children. So, gather those buttons and let the crafting adventures begin!
