Fabric buttons give scraps closure

After 40 years of sewing I have accumulated piles of fabric scraps. They float through my sewing life like confetti celebrating the creative moment. Some are too small to do much of anything with, but are too big to throw away. I hoard those odd-shaped and -sized pieces, thinking I’ll find something wonderful to do with each little snippet, especially that mottled pink silk, the beautiful black wool jersey or the creamy white linen. They strike me as being fraught with possibility.

I think of Joan Bolton’s book “Patchwork Folk Art,” which is filled with wonderful ideas for using scraps of fabric in artistic ways. And, inspired by that book, I’ve dipped into my fabric bits from time to time, I’ve made needle books and have done applique and quilting projects.

As it turns out, there is something else I can make with those snippets of fabric. I can make knotted or rolled buttons. I have a terrible feeling this is about to become my next binge craft, the perfect thing with which to infect the members of my Stitch group. Hee, hee, hee!

I can see it all now – we’ll be sitting on the floor in someone’s living room, up to our knees in a welter of fabric scraps of every hue culled from our too-good-to-throw-away collections. We’ll cut and knot and roll; the buttons will pile up like periwinkle shells on a beach after a high tide. We’ll string some into necklaces and bracelets. We’ll sew others onto ready-made totes, hats and garments. We’ll snip ugly buttons off a favorite coat or jacket and replace them with fabulous, made-by-hand fabric buttons, the ultimate in chic embellishment. We’ll be the button queens of Maine. Maybe we’ll even fashion fabric button tiaras to wear.

A knotted button is as simple as folding in the edges of a strip of fabric and making a basic overhand knot.

A fabric braided button is made from a strip of fabric, edges folded in, that is tied into a circle, and the two ends twisted in and out of the circle and pulled into a knot.

A ball-shaped button begins with an overhand knot, threads one of its ends back through one of its loops and tightened.

A rolled button is made from a long, skinny triangle and rolled on a nail or knitting needle from the wide end to the pointy end. White glue is used to secure the end. The side edges are tucked under and secured with a few quick hand stitches.

Fabric button techniques are not difficult and are easily learned. Detailed instructions that include illustrations are available at www.threadsmagazine.com.

Fabric scraps may be used for covered buttons, too. Their construction depends on two-piece button forms to shape them. Buttons forms are available at fabric shops and departments that sell craft and sewing supplies.

Small circles are cut from fabric and positioned over a soft, rubbery well that assists in wrapping the material around the form. The button back is snapped into place, and voila! you have a covered button. For a couture touch, the back of the button may be covered, too.

Covered buttons are not difficult to make but require patience when attempted the first time. The trick is to make sure the fabric has no minute wrinkles along the edges, which is sometimes easier said than done.

Nancy Nehring’s “50 Heirloom Buttons to Make,” published by The Taunton Press, is a good resource for learning how to make many different kinds of buttons, including those that are knotted and covered.

Visit www.taunton.com to find directions for making knotted buttons.

Button forms are sold at local fabric stores and departments.

Snippets

. Silks and Tapestries in Ellsworth is another source of high-tech material for those who want to make window quilts. To obtain more information, call the shop at 664-0750.

. Want to take a look at how our ancestors prepared for winter? Old Fort Western will provide such a view 1-4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10. Visitors will see how to make apple cider and join the museum staff as they knit woolen stockings, dry apples, pumpkins and squash, prepare cough syrups and hem handkerchiefs, wash and mend blankets, and harvest potatoes from the garden. Visitors also may join the staff for tea in the parlor as they write to family and friends who visited during the warmer months. Admission is $5, $3 for children 6 to 16. Children under 6 and Augusta residents are admitted free of charge. To learn more about event, call 626-2385.

. The Pittsfield Public Library is starting a group call Fourth Friday Fiber Fun. People of all ages will gather in the afternoon to share the fun of knitting and crocheting. Organizers are seeking knitters and crocheters willing to share their skills. They also are seeking donations of yarn, knitting needles and crochet hooks to help beginners get started. The library has a variety of books containing instructions and project ideas. Call the library at 487-5880 for more information.

Ardeana Hamlin may be reached at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.