How to Make
Beaded Buttons
~
Hope you don't mind staying with buttons for one more post. I get a lot of email messages asking how to make beaded buttons, and so I thought it might be nice to show you some pictures. I do teach this as a workshop; and it's one of the projects in my book, Beaded Embellishment. So here I won't go into how to do the bead embroidery stitches. I'll just show the button construction part.
Start with a 3.5 inch square of printed fabric backed by acid-free interleaving paper. Draw the fabric cutting template from the button-form package on the paper; centered inside that circle, trace around the metal button top. (I always use Dritz half-dome button forms, the kind that you snap together with your fingers, not the kind that requires a squeezing tool.) Baste around the inner circle to make a beading guide. On the fabric side, fill the area inside the basted circle with bead embroidery.
Your work will look like this on the front side...
...and like this on the back side.
Now I can't get any more images to upload.... frustrating! I'll start a new post... see above.
Posts
dear Robin, as an admirer and a beader... I love your work. inspirational and wonderful!
ReplyDeleteBut i can't find any Dritz- half-dome, snapping button forms in my town... ! Frustrating, to say the least!
Where, oh,where????? can I get them?
gabrielle
Use a Dritz™ Half Ball Cover Button kit (#213-45, or other size) purchased from a fabric store. I think JoAnne's on-line has them, and I've bought them at Hancocks, JoAnne, and other chain fabric stores in the past. Currently, I buy them in bulk from a wholesaler - 300 at a time. Should I start selling little kits with the button form and the acid-free paper already printed with the double rings? If the retail stores aren't carrying them any more, I could add them to the supplies I sell through my website... What do yo think?
ReplyDeleteI was unable to find them here and would love it if you sold the little kits.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a kit available as well as the paper. I purchased acid-free paper from a scrapbooking store, not knowing exactly what to purchase and now I feel really silly, but I really want to start a first project.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you and your motorcycle can venture back to Ventura County on some blue highways. I understand you've taught in SoCal previously.
Thanks for your time.
To acey and anonomous ~ Thanks for the "nudge" to sell kits. I'll try to get them listed on the beads & supplies page of my website soon.
ReplyDeleteCheck the schedule page of my website... I will be teaching in So California in March, 07... There you go!
Wish I had your email addresses so I could get back to you in person.
Hi robin how do you add just a border with seed beads.
ReplyDelete