Ponytail Tutorial

Lets get started. I will make this a little more exciting as time goes on, but I would like to get you started with this one. Please excuse the photos, it is hard to hold the camera and make buttons at the same time!

Cover buttons come in many sizes, here is a list of the various sizes. We also sell the buttons in your choice of a back - wire back or a flat back. The wire version is your traditional shank button that would be used in a sewing application. Flat backs are great for magnet and other glued applications. For the purpose of making a ponytail, we will use a wire backed button. The main reason is so we can use the holes to secure the hair elastic.

You will need to remove, we use wire cutters, to access the holes and remove the button shank from the back.

a quick snip with wire cutters does the trick.

then using a simple craft wire, available at all craft stores and some hardware stores. Snip off some wire to work with. I use about four inches to start with.

Attach the elastic to the button back with the wire as shown above. Pull the wire through to the back and make sure the wire is snug to the button back.

About 5 or 6 twists of the wire to secure and then snip off the end leaving 3/4's of an inch tail.

You will need to see what is comfortable for you, I have never had one come unattached. If you leave a bigger tail, just smush it flat . . . it will be hidden by the button.

We use elastics that we find at Target, Walmart, drug stores or often our grocery store has great prices. We like the version that doesn't have the metal connection. Often called "ouchless" or "no damage". We use a bigger elastic for size 45 and 60 buttons to make ponytails and smaller size elastics and size 30 and 36 buttons to make pairs of pigtails.

Take your fabric scrap and set it print side down into the pusher tool (you need a tool for each size button you use) and then set the button in with the domed side facing down and the bowl side facing you.

snip the excess fabric and trace around the button. This is a trial and error kind of operation, we leave different amounts of fabric depending on the fabric type. For quilting or regular cotton, we leave about a half-inch.

It will look like this when trimmed and ready to attach the button

Tuck the fabric into the center of the button shell.

Insert the back into the button shell with the elastic side facing out and the side with the wire twisted into the button. Using the pusher tool as shown in the photo push the back into the button, you will feel it snap into place.

Remove the button from the tool and you will have yourself a ponytail!

The back will look like this

The finished ponytail will look like this!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Time - Cover Buttons, Magnets, Bails, Oh My!

We were hoping to have our new blog design and links to both our ETSY hand-stamped sterling silver jewelry shop and also our supply store, in time for the Sew Mama Sew giveaway . . . but good things take time! Instead of waiting, Darcy and I decided to go forward anyway and giveaway $75 in supplies.

We are getting ready for the summer craft show season here in Upstate NY and will have some fun new mother's jewelry back in the shop soon!

So for the giveaway we will be giving away and assortment of cover buttons in size 30, 36 and 45, the cover buttons tools, rare earth magnets and some aanraku bails in both the leaf design and the new heart design. With these supplies your DIY options will be endless. Cover button magnets, cover button pendants, cover button ponytail and pigtails and anything else you can think of to make with a cover button. You might even want a few to use as say BUTTONS!

50 rare earth magnets and sample tube of E6000

50 size 45 buttons with your choice of flat or wire backs

Our favorite size for Ponytails

5 medium heart bails and 5 small leaf bails both Aanraku

(perfect for making scrabble tile, glass tile or covered button pendants)

50 size 36 cover buttons, your choice of flat or wire backs

this is a great size for pigtails or magnets

And 50 Size 30 buttons with your choice of wire or flat backs

this is our favorite size for magnets, especially with small scale fabric prints

(fabric in photo is not part of the giveaway, just a little fun eye candy)

All three button sizes will come with the cover tool and in our fun and functional labeled muslin bags, so you can keep those buttons straight!

TO ENTER:

Please leave a comment with a way for us to get in touch with you and also a comment letting us know what types of tutorials you would find helpful relating to the supplies we carry in our shop. We have a bunch ready to go including a scrabble tile tutorial, cover button ponytails, and cover button magnets. We are happy to ship domestic or international. The winner will be selected on May 20th at random. Thanks for checking us out!

We've Got Cover Button Fever

Darcy and I are having lots of fun with all the cover buttons! We got them into the supply shop and have been so busy selling them, we haven't had the time to make any for craft shows or the local stores that carry them for us! We just count them! That is about to change. We now have the button operation running smoothly and are putting the final touches on our inventory "system" on Monday. We love the cute and practical bags we have been using, we are getting great feedback, so we are sticking with using them. Look for some fun tutorials at least on basic button fun coming soon! Now we just have to figure out how to put tutorials on a blog. . . We have been trying to blog (so far mainly on our personal lives) so we can get into the habit and become familiar with blogging. I must say I wish I could find a class on some basic graphic design, blog design and maybe even some accounting . . . Running a little creative venture takes a little more than a love of making things, we are quickly finding out. But we have almost put the whole business side to the side again (our taxes are paid, our taxes are being filed and we have quickbooks!) So we got together last night and started to dream about the future of our little company and the fun we want to have. So watch out . . . in the meantime if you see us, please forgive the scraps on our hands, we've been counting buttons and lots of them!