How to make a little somethin’ somethin’ with buttons…

Remember the other day when I mentioned that I was totally overwhelmed and frustrated because I wanted to craft but just didn’t have the time (among a lot of other things)? Well, that same day in a fit of frustration I scrolled through my zillions of craft ideas that I keep on my computer, picked one, and went to Joann’s.

This is my inspiration photo:

Peggy, the amazing creator of this fabulous image, has other amazing letters available at her Etsy shop.

Here are some of my favorites:

I have a secret for you though… I have NO IDEA how to sew on a button. Sad huh? Fortunately since these little buttons don’t have to be functional in any way I didn’t need to know how to actually sew one on.

So, here’s what I picked up from Joann’s:

Pre-stretched canvas (8×10)
Fabric – I purchased 1/3 yard (you’ll need to adjust this depending on the size of your canvas)
Buttons – I chose red because they popped but you can choose whatever color you like best with your fabric, the buttons need to be in varying sizes (note: I also used some large matching beads because my letter had some really skinny parts and I couldn’t find buttons that small)
Embroidery hoop
Embroidery thread in a matching color (should match the color of your buttons)

Here’d what I needed from my stash at home:

Staple gun
Printed letter (using your computer and Microsoft Word size your paper to the size of your canvas, choose a font that you like and make it as large as possible, print)
Scissors
Straight pins

Instructions:

Cut out your letter very carefully
Pin your letter to your fabric
Place embroidery hoop over fabric and letter. You should have this…
Begin placing buttons however they look best to you – you’ll do this by threading your needle, tying a knot in the end, then bringing the thread up through the ‘bottom’ of the fabric, through one button hole, then down through another. If there are four holes in your button, repeat this step.
Keep repeating until your letter is covered with buttons
To remove the paper letter – use small scissors and tweezers to cut and remove the pieces underneath the buttons. Be very careful not to cut your thread or fabric.
(note: this is a very difficult way of doing this, if you want, instead of pinning your paper letter to your fabric you can use an erasable fabric marker to trace your letter onto your fabric. However, please note that your creation will have to be washed in order to remove the ink. You will need to adhere your buttons accordingly.)
Once complete, carefully center your fabric onto your canvas (you can use some spray adhesive to keep it steady if you want). Flip it over and use your staple gun to adhere the fabric to the back. Make sure you’re stapling into the wooden frame.
You’re done! Admire your handiwork!

Here’s my finished product:

It has sort of a 4^th of July feel to it doesn’t it? I wasn’t actually going for that but it works out well considering Independence Day will be here sooner than we know it. We actually don’t have any blue or red in our house so this’ll make for some fun holiday decoration for us. I’m hoping to try this again in some different colors.

Now, my finished project in no way looks as amazing as Peggy’s finished products but then again, I’m not selling mine or giving it away as a gift to anyone. I’m just glad I finally made something crafty. Yay!

I’ve linked up to these great parties:

Bloom Designs, Skip to My Lou, and Chef in Training.

As well as…