Are your kids home for the holidays? Do they need something to keep them busy?

 Express Yourself with Buttons!

Have time off from school? Need a good project? Come back to school with new, really cool jeans. Decorate with buttons. Buttons are fun and easy to collect. They come in all shapes and sizes at all costs—from five cents for a simple plastic button to $50–$60 for an antique glass button. Once you know how to sew on a button, you can start imagining all sorts of decorative uses and locations for them. 
Your child has a closet full of clothes, but …nothing to wear”.  How many pairs of jeans do they own? Why not personalize a few pair, redesign their look, make them individualized!  It’s so easy and so, so inexpensive. 

• Now go find some buttons. Do you have an old button box for lost buttons – this is a great time to use them.  Check out a craft store or the local “dollar store” and browse the thousands of buttons that are available. There are buttons in every color and shape – flowers, animals, people, activities, etc. Try to buy the buttons with 2 or 4 holes, not a shank (the little piece on the back of the button for the thread). Shank buttons may not lie flat on your jeans. Buy a needle or some thread. Don’t worry about matching the thread to your jean color; in fact, use different colors to add more pizzazz to your pants. Mix and match - use embroidery thread or yarn if it will go through the button holes. 
• Think about what you would like on your jeans. Maybe a flower? A design? Anything goes! Draw it on paper and then with chalk or a marking pen that will come out when washed, draw what you want onto your jeans. How about buttons down the side seams?

Okay, ready? Jeans, buttons, needle, drawing  – GO!

• Cut your thread about 36-40 inches long. Buttons need a double thread, meaning two strands to make the button more secure, especially for something like jeans that you may be washing more than other clothes. Pull the two ends of the thread together at the same length and knot the ends together.  

  Check out the Sneak Preview pages 21-22 for specific instructions on sewing on buttons.
Once you know how to sew on buttons, you can experiment with any clothing article. Perk up an old sweater with some new fancy buttons, sew some buttons around the collar of a plain T-shirt, how about sprucing up some some old Keds! How about your initials on the back pockets (best to do with tiny buttons)!
Go wild! Buttons can go anywhere - back packs, textbook covers, jean jackets. Try some sequins in-between the buttons to add shine and glamour. 

Love what you did on your jeans, but want even more?  Stitch a few embroidery stitches for the stems and leaves - it couldn’t be easier.  But, that‘s for a later blog.