Cover a Button Without a Kit!

I know they sell kits for covered buttons. When your creative juices run in over-drive in the wee hours of the morning, impatience is often the mother of my inventions. Besides, I like mine a bit better. I love that I can make them any size I need. My buttons thick and juicy. I can use just about any fabric so they match my pincushions perfectly.

You will need just a few tools:
Fabric of your choice which may be plain or embroidered, a button, thread (heavy duty is nice), a pencil, and something round to trace a circle with. Oh, a sewing machine and hand sewing needles are also needed.


Choose your button. I use buttons I don't like. They just need to be slightly smaller than the size you want your finished button to be.
Trace a circle onto your fabric. The circle should be at least 1/2 inches larger than the button you will be covering. I am showing a piece of plain material. However, if you want to use an embroidered button, do all of the embroidery before you proceed to the next step.


I like to add stay stitching to the outer edges of my fabric. It keeps it from fraying while stitching. Stay stitching is simply a line of machine stitching just inside the line of your seam. Often it is used on bias edges and in garment construction.




Next run a line of gathering stiches around the outer edge of your fabric circle. If I have stay stitching place, my gathering stitch is just outside that line. I also may use heavy duty thread, hand quilting thread or upholstery thread. These will not break as you gather your stitches tight. Normal thread often usually won't break if it is doubled.


Add a bit of stuffing in your gathered fabric.

Now add your button.


Pull your gathering stiches tight. Knot off your thread. I like to sew back and forth to hold all the raw edges down tight so the back is nice and neat.


Your finished!


To attach your button to your pincushion, thread a long needle with matching thread. If your button has standard holes you can poke your needle through the embroidery stitches and into the button hole. Sew securely to your fabric using just a few stitches.
You can also begin with a shank button and allow the loop to remain outside of your gathered fabric.
I often will just begin by securing my thread to the back of my button. I then run that thread through my pincushion. I come back up along the side of my button and continue to sew the button down to my pincushion.
I suggest that you use whichever method suits your needs

Have fun and make all of your projects extraordinary!