This week I finished a little 3/4 sleeved cardigan for myself.
The pattern instructed each buttonhole to be made by casting off 5 stitches and casting on 5 stitches in the following row.
I thought to myself these are going to be huge! But dutifully followed the instructions as it was the first time I had made this particular pattern.
Once sewn up I found a button that would fit perfectly and also realised that having to buy seven more matching ones could become quite expensive.
Out came the fimo (or "du-kit") in this particular case and I attempted to make my own matching buttons. I used black du-kit and pink and blue glitter to match the stripes in the cardigan.
At first I tried to mix the glitter into the fimo, but quickly realised it was a waste of glitter.
I ended up rolling the fimo out flat and sprinkling the glitter on top. The size of button I needed was the same size as one of those old camera film containers, so I used that to push discs out of the fimo.
To make the buttonholes I found a very clever idea whilst trawling through the Internet. Tape two toothpicks together with a spacer in between them. (Because my buttons were so big, I found a pen that was the perfect width.)
I thought I would have to drill holes for the button holes once the clay had baked, but found that the toothpick holes stayed and were the perfect size for needle thread.
I am happy with the result, although next time I will definitely make the buttons thinner.
