Get ready to revamp your look with a few nifty buttons.

WANT to jazz up both your wardrobe as well as your child’s without going all out on a shopping spree? Well, if making your own dresses seems too daunting a task, you can always update an existing piece instead. A cool trick to keep up your sleeve is really about replacing the old with the new: buttons, that is.

Mix and match colours, shapes and textures. Wooden buttons can magically transform crumbly cardigans into a vintage work of art. Sometimes you can even replace the buttons with similar-sized beads – pastel ones, for instance, to add a pop of colour to a plain white blouse. Try adding buttons to accentuate a pocket or a shirt sleeve.

If you’re not one for button-hunting, fret not. The accompanying tutorial will show you how to make your own fabric buttons, which are definitely a fancier alternative to plastic fasteners. Grab any cloth that you can find; think polka dots, florals, checks and stripes to channel a nostalgic atmosphere a la British fashion designer Cath Kidston.

Centrepiece: Restyle your attire or your child’s by replacing old buttons with new ones.

This super-easy project can be completed in a matter of minutes – all you have to do is purchase a cover button set (available at Japanese variety store Daiso for RM5) and combine the contents with a small amount of fabric.

Use any scrap material that you may have, or conjure some up from pretty old pillowcases and handkerchiefs. Child-themed fabric dotted with cute cartoon or animal characters makes interesting buttons as well. Thinner fabric is easier to work with, but there’s always a risk that the colour of the cover button (silver, in this project) will show through.

Once you’ve made a handful of fabric buttons, you can work them into quirky ponytail holders, key chains, charm bracelets and even a pair of flip-flops. Get your child involved and start a fun button-making factory at home!

Lee Mei Li gets her crafty inspirations from making ‘amigurumi’, a type of Japanese crochet dolls. Meet her woven whimsies at www.amiguruMEI.com.

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Fabric buttons

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