Buttons

I love buttons! I'm not really sure why though. I don't sew and really have no use for buttons...well, other than the ones that come sewn onto my shirts, pants, jackets, etc. Maybe it stems from my childhood. My Mom always had buttons....and zippers, fabric and threads. She was, and still is, a top notch seamstress and quilter. So I guess that's why I love these things today.

I've made quite a few buttons in the last couple years. Unique buttons that you just can't find in any fabric and notions store. But my attention turned towards other things in my creative journey and buttons were put on the back burner. That is until yesterday! I'm thrilled with how these latest ones turned out. Take a look at how they came to be......

I first made a Klimt cane (the small square thing on the tile with my blade) with these colors then decided to make one long thin string with the remainder of the clay.

First step, choosing and blending colors. Then rolling the colors into sheets, cutting out circles, stacking the colors in random order and pushing them through the clay extruder (not an easy task!).

After I had a long thin strand of clay I began making coils and placing them on a sheet of clay. Doesn't look very exciting at this point, does it?

What happened to all my colors?  The orange ? The yellow?

Next came the tricky part. Shaving away the top of the coils, careful not to cut too deep. This requires both a sharp blade and lots of patience!

There they are! Hidden inside the coils.

I was so happy with the way it turned out. So happy, in fact, that I almost hated to cut it! But finally I just did it having faith that it would work out.  I strategically cut out different sizes. I didn't want to waste any more of this design than I had to. I placed my buttons in the oven to cure, giddy with excitement about the way they were looking....

Then came the next step......sanding! Ugh, I hate sanding!!! I despise sanding!!! I loathe the thought of sanding!!! Okay, you get the picture..... but, it had to be done.

Blah! Did I mention I HATE sanding!

A rare glimpse of me. Sitting at the bathroom sink, SANDING!

Here's the result!!! Oh, and what the pictures can't show is how they feel. So super smooth, I could just hold them in my hand and rub them!!! I know, that sounds a little weird, huh? But all of that sanding makes such a difference!

The 4 large ones are 1". There are 5, 3/4" ones, one 5/8" and the smallest one is 1/2".

These, along with some other newly made, equally fab buttons, will be listed for sale soon in my Etsy shop. I have plans for some other, totally different, BIG buttons too. So be on the look out for those soon. If you're a button lover like me, you won't want to miss them!