Bobby pins seem to have made a comeback. When I was a kid, we used them but they were safely tucked inside a bun or some other hair creation. The idea was to make sure they couldn't be seen. Now, they're a fashion accessory. No hiding or anything. I spotted this idea recently - a fabric-covered button threaded onto a bobby pin - but I didn't have the supplies. A quick trip to the fabric store solved that. A kit to make six 5/8" covered buttons was only $2.79 (actually $2.09 with the sale they were having). With the only other supplies being the tiniest of tiny pieces of fabric and some bobby pins, this is a very economical project.
The kit I purchased had a circle printed on the back of the packaging to cut out and use as a template to cut the fabric. Because I wanted a very specific part of the fabric to show on the button, I needed to see through my template, so I traced it onto a piece of plastic from the packaging of a sewing notion I had just opened. A piece of clear vinyl would work too.
I traced one of the button shells onto the middle of the template. This gives a better idea of what will actually show on the button when it's finished.
The rest is simply following the instructions on the package. You start by laying the fabric on top of the mold.
Hold the fabric tight with two fingers and push the button shell, smooth side down, into the mold.
Push the edges of fabric into the center. Push the back of the button into the mold, then click it in using the pushing tool. If the fabric on the front of the button needs to face a certain direction when it's done, consider that when orienting the back before pushing it in.
String it onto a bobby pin and that's really all there is to it. Quick, cheap and easy and a great little back-to-school craft. I saw refills for the kit...probably gonna need some of those. How many bobby pins come in a package?
