Covered buttons are such a simple way to make something feel special. Match them to a dress, add them to a cushion, or use up the tiniest scraps of a favourite print.
What you need
- A dome button with a shank: a little tab with a hole underneath.
- A scrap of thin or medium-weight cotton.
- A needle, strong thread, a ruler and scissors.
How to make a covered button
- Measure across your button. Cut a circle of fabric twice as wide as the button. Choose where to cut it, so a little picture or pattern sits in the middle.
- Sew running stitch round the circle, close to the edge. Leave the thread ends long.
- Lay the button face down in the middle of the circle, on the wrong side of the fabric.
- Pull the thread to gather the fabric round the back of the button, just like a Suffolk puff. Keep the shank poking out of the middle.
- Stitch back and forth across the gathers, close to the shank, and knot the thread.
- Sew your button on through the hole in the shank.
Top tips
- You don’t need to fold the edge of the circle: the cut edge is hidden on the back of the button.
- Thin fabrics gather best. If your fabric is very thin or pale, add a layer of white cotton behind it so the button doesn’t show through.
- Prefer a quicker way? Self-cover button kits from craft shops come with button tops, backs and a little tool that presses the fabric in place.
Pop one in the centre of a Suffolk puff brooch, see how to sew on a button so it stays on, or see where my prints came from in my Storytelling Fabrics.
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