Why I ♥ Covered Buttons: A Simple Tutorial

I think covering buttons to replace the crappy plastic ones that came on whatever-it-is is the most brilliant thing ever in the world. How come? It's quick and easy, and it does for clothes what a coat of paint does for walls:  it transforms the whole look without you having to break a sweat.

OK. So that's where the analogy sort of breaks down, because painting is hard work. Sweaty, messy, smelly. Bleah.

So never mind. Forget I said that. Let's just talk about covering buttons and forget your tired, dingy walls. To show you how easy it is, just in case you've got Sewing Phobia and don't even own a needle (sharp pointy thing you might have in your medicine cabinet for removing splinters) and thread (long stringy stuff that comes on a spool and has to be kept hidden from resident cats), I've done a quick little Photo Tutorial, cos I'm nice that way.

Plus because I got A Faulty Button, and it fell apart on my coat and I had to make another one to replace it. But never fear! That's the only one I've ever had trouble with in my entire many-year history of covering buttons, so it's not like they're all evil and will thwart you by doing this. Non.

This one was just a Renegade Covered Button. We're shunning him now.

So let's go! First you'll need some buttons. If you're covering them in flannel, as I often do, you may need a size smaller than you think you will, since the flannel adds bulk. Don't try using really bulky fabric, though, because the back won't go on. Once you've got some garments with covered buttons, you can use them as a test for other garments:  test the buttons you've already covered to see if that size will go through the other garment's button hole. Boy, that was a lot of words to express a really simple step, huh?

 If you've never done this before, get the package that says "kit" on it--and don't you love that it's "Cover Button Kit," like an admonition? Not the expected "Button-Covering Kit." Oh, no. That would be pedestrian. And let's not get into why it should be "Covered Button Kit," if that's the route they're taking. Grrrrrr.

 Once you've got the kit for every size you need, then you just buy the refills. Or else you'll end up with many, many kits, like, um, some people~~

 You can see I have a large selection over many years of buying kits and accidentally buying a kit when I wanted refills and being forced to buy a kit because they didn't HAVE any refills. Plus my mother's sets, as well.

 On the back of the package, there's a template you're supposed to cut out and use to trace the circle on your fabric. Eh. Use your circle template--you've got some of those, right?--and match up the right size.

 Trace onto the wrong side of your fabric.

 Cut it out.

 Place it facedown into the rubber ring thingie.

 Poke it down some.

 Put the front part of the button facedown, centering it.

 Press it into the ring.

 Fold the edges of the fabric over it.

 Put the back over this.

 Use the presser thingie to snap the back into place. Sometimes I have to use a wooden hammer to do this. Sometimes I use The EGE.

 You can feel it snap into place. Make sure it does this so it's tight all the way around.

 Pop it out of the ring, et voilá!

 Think of all the possibilities! No more cheap plastic buttons!

 Flannel buttons are great on nubby cotton sweaters.

And there you go: How to Cover Buttons. Couldn't be easier, and you don't even need a drop cloth or a brush~~

XO