diy by Grace Bonney 45

diy wednedays: 9-hole buttons

button1
we’ve been obsessing over some 9-hole buttons we saw online a while back, and thought we’d try to make a few of our own using some oven bake clay from the art store. a film canister acts as a great cookie cutter for the buttons, and we indented the centers with an old wine cork. with 9 holes you can pretty much embroider any letter you want, which is great for personalizing your clothes or emblazoning your favorite coat with a catchy word or phrase.

have fun!
derek & lauren

CLICK HERE for the full instructions after the jump!

here’s what you’ll need:

sculpey, or fimo in a color of your choice
rolling pin
plastic wrap to cover your work surface
empty film canister or small round cookie cutter
wine cork
toothpick

1. roll out a piece of clay to a little less than 1/4” thick.
2. press the open end of the film canister onto the clay to cut out a circle.
3. indent the middle of the circle using one end of your wine cork.
4. create a grid of 9 holes in the center of your clay circle using one end of a toothpick.
5. bake for 10-12 minutes in a 275-degree oven.
6. with embroidery floss or thick thread, attach the button to a garment of your choice, using the embroidery floss to create a letter of the alphabet as you sew on the button.

button2
button3

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diy / diy projects
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45 Comments

Sarah

I have also seen and loved those 9-hole buttons—never occurred to me that I could make my own though! Thanks for the idea.

Kim from Milwaukee

Do these buttons survive being washed in a washing machine?

Newbie

I love the texture the wine cork gives the middle of the button!

grace wieber

Ditto Bliss’s “Brilliant”. The nine holes lend themselves to mega possibilities.
Thanks for the tutorial. :)

Dee Wilcox

So cute! I made all kinds of fun things with Fimo as a kid but haven’t played with it in years… gosh, like fourteen years. Sheesh! And now, off to Hobby Lobby for Fimo I go. :)

Erin

Awesome. Sculpey makes a every color sample pack that I love and glazes for matte or shiny finishes. (Although you could use any kind of clear finish really, not just the Sculpey brand.)

*gemmifer*

I remember making some Fimo buttons for a cardigan back in college and loving them! This is a great new idea for a similar project.

Amy

Kim, I was wondering the same thing about whether or not you could wash the buttons. So I went online and discovered that Sculpey III has a tendency to crumble. However, according to the blogger, she has washed her Premo many many times. Hope this helps.

Bri

Those are really cute! What a great idea. Thanks for sharing the project.

Anke (anke-art)

Oh how sweet! These buttons have been on my wishlist for quite some time, but now that I see your tutorial, I guess DIY is much more charming. And cheaper ;)
Thanks!

justin

I’m gonna make them THEN SPELL MY NAME. crafts make me a kid again. These are the neatest.

Kathleen

The only letter you can’t easily create is Q. The other 25 are fair game.

calamity kim

These are really great but I will have to look way back in the corner og my time machine for a film canister! LOL! Really- these are so cool! I’ve never seen them before- they’d be great for golfers- 9 holes- get it? Sorry- just had corn for dinner!
teehee:)
calamity kim

cumpcake

wow, this is extreme….
so makeing one right now

Missy K.

What a cute idea. I want to try that now. Do you have a stitch diagram for letters?

Billy

It’s fair game to take a DIY inspiration from a designer’s idea. That said, the guys who had the original idea would surely appreciate a link: http://www.abc-button.com/
BTW: you can find a stich diagram there, too.

lauren

Hi Billy-
Thanks so much for the link to abc-button.com! You’re right- they definitely deserve to be mentioned since they were the inspiration for this project.
-Lauren

Judith

I’m with Missy – I’d love to see a stitch diagram for the entire alphabet!

chico

i love your 9 button idea.. i was thinking of a nice way to customize my new set of bracelets..

Kelly

This is wonderful and I know my kids are going to love making these with me!

The only Sculpey’s available to me around here are Original and Ultra-Light. Would either work? Or should I wait to find Premo out of town somewhere?

shelley

These are smart, and cute.

i beleive sculpty has the same properties as femo,…

earlyer this year i was tired of buying buttons, since by the time i made the outfit i wanted a differnt colour and already paid an arm and a leg for the ones i bought, so i made my own 4 and 2 whole buttons out of femo. baked them, and used them on my nephews pj’s (he is 5) they lasted perhaps a month, then they swere breaking and falling off.

i am going to try again by putting wire in the butten to give it more stregnth to see if that helps. but the 9 whole idea is still great!

Angela Mabray

Great idea!

For the commenters who asked about machine washing and drying polymer clay buttons, you can if you use a strong brand of clay. Different clays are good for different things — Sculpey III is intended to be a kid’s clay, so it’s not as durable as the artist-grade clays. Try Premo, Fimo (not Fimo Soft), or Kato for the best results on a project like this.

It’s also extremely important to thoroughly bake the buttons, double-checking your oven temperature with an external thermometer. Most oven’s internal thermostats are a little off, and while 25-50 degrees may not make or break your casserole’s success, it will cause problems with baking clay. Clay cooked at too high of a temperature will burn, while clay cooked at too low of a temperature is more likely to be brittle and break.

Erin Nelson

Thinking it’s time to go to Home Depot to buy some tiny drill bits…

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