Crafty Thursdays: Cloth Buttons & Ponytail Holders Giveaway

We're starting the new year off right, with the return of fresh crafts for Crafty Thursdays. Our first craft of the new year is 
fabric covered buttons. 

You can make your buttons with any kind of cloth, but we chose two patterns - letters and a really fun Alice in Wonderland print. Once you make your buttons, you can use them as buttons or put them on things - like these ponytail holders above. 

We are giving away a set of four Alice buttons (pictured below). To enter, write a comment below about your favorite thing about the month of January. US residents only. 

This is a very easy craft, but you do need to get one tiny piece of low-tech equipment - the button maker. They are available at Walmart online and several vendors on Etsy.  

Here's what you need:

• Fabric button maker
• Fabric
• Button blanks (also available at Walmart and Etsy)
• Scissors
• Cardboard to make circle patterns

Step One:
Trace the outside of the plastic button maker piece on the cardboard. Then cut the circle out. This will serve as your pattern. Because you are tracing the outside of the button maker, the fabric piece will be a little larger which is exactly what you need. 

Step Two:
Now use your cardboard circles to get your fabric circles ready. Placement is key on a patterned fabric, so make sure your desired pattern is in the middle. 

The circle here is placed to get the Cheshire Cat's Face on the button

Step Three:

Cover the top of the button blank with your circle of fabric - pattern side up. Make sure the pattern is centered as you want it on the blank. Then you carefully turn over the button holding the fabric in place and stick the button top in fabric side facing into the plastic button maker. 

Step Four:

Push the smaller part of the button blank (this will have the hole or the hook on the back) onto the back of the button using the button maker. When you hear a snap, it's in. Sometimes you have to push hard to make sure this happen. 

Step Five:
Pop our your button.