Make Your Own Buttons
Making your own buttons is a really interesting way to customize your homemade garments or store-bought for that matter. My husband, ever the maker and aspiring Victorian gentleman, recently made himself a vest. The vest took weeks of careful sewing and of course vicious wadding up and throwing down in disgust. The final project is very nice to look at, especially when you can’t see all the blood and sweat that went into it but the crowing glory are his buttons. I took photos of his process and thought I’d share.
The buttons are relatively easy to make and use simple household tools, mostly simple household tools. Our boys 7 and 8 are certainly enthralled with the button making process and have turned out quite a few buttons. Any buttons that get mangled along the way turn into pirate money, which in our house is worth MORE than the actual penny.
Supplies: old pennies or dimes
chunk of 4X4 post big enough to whack around and not break it
ball peen hammer
punch, to make the holes
regular hammer
First you need to make the holes for sewing it on, so use the the regular hammer and punch and make the holes
Go through both sides so the holes are both cleanly punched
Set the button aside and use the ball peen hammer to make a nice dent in your post–one good whack is all you need and it has to be fairly hearty!
Voila–button is finished!
FUN! You should be aware that making these to sell would be very illegal. Making a few to wear is along the lines of the penny smashing machines in tourist areas, making them to make a profit will certainly get you in trouble. Consider yourself forewarned!
Peace and Love–
They look VERY spiffy, although defacing American money is illegal, I doubt if there is much of a penalty.
It’s only illegal if you are trying to pass it off as tender of a higher value than the original coin. The law was intended to combat counterfeiting.
Good to hear!
I'll have to show this to my hubby. This idea may be useful in his steampunk creations. Thanks for the step by step photos!
You should be aware that making these to sell would be very illegal. Making a few to wear is along the lines of the penny smashing machines in tourist areas.
Cool idea.
Ohhhh me likey! I think would be an especially fun craft to do with foreign money "souvenirs" from trips. I always try to collect some token coins from countries of people that I know visit (since, you know, I haven't visited them myself sniffle sniffle). Nice way to use and display them, versus sitting in my jewelry box out of sight out of mind.
This is a great idea for making matching buttons. I'm sure your boys are having a blast making pirate money…er, I mean, buttons.
hi Laura, thank you for linking up to the challenge! i love this diy – in my opinion a great way to use old coins (here in the euro zone there's plenty of nice but perfectly useless coins left over from the pre-euro times.) gotta get the man of the house to get the hammer and punch out and make us some shiny new buttons!
Do the edges of the holes not cut the threads used to sew them on?
They do wear out quicker, you’re right!