Button Bouquets - an old tutorial from 2012 - but still a Good One.

 HOW TO:
Button Bouquets
Yes you can! They are so easy to make and you can do as few or as many stems as you like. In fact, they are a little addictive once you get going...

These make an awesome ever lasting bouquet and many people are choosing Button Bouquets over traditional flower bouquets.So - the wire you need is really governed by the size of buttons you are going to use and the size of bouquet you want to end up with. I use this tough medium gauge garden wire from Garden Centres or DIY shops but i have only seen it in green. You can get this thin floristry wire from HobbyCraft and it comes in many colours. Better for smaller bouquets. Or you can get pre-cut stuff like this: 22 Gauge Thin Green Floristry Cut Wire 20" Lengths
Just make sure that you buy a length TWICE the length of your finished stem, so this should link to a 20" stem....
You will need wire cutters too. Being the daughter of an Engineer, i highly advise buying top quality tools (Tungsten / carbon) rather than cheaper 'hobby tools' - you won't replace a pair of these beauties as long as you live (sort of)

Then the basic method is to stack your buttons!
Get masses and masses of buttons in many different sizes so you have plenty of choice. The key to any stacking of any size stems / bouquet, is to have at least 3 different sizes. I also find it best to mix up the plains and patterns. LEFT = Bigger size. RIGHT = Smaller size.

 The gauge (thickness) of wire will depend on the hole sizes of your buttons....
 I make my tall stems 10 inches long...
NEWSFLASH: this means you will need a length of wire 20 inches long. you will be foldong the whole piece in half! it is easy to forget that point. So cut 20 inch and fold over in half.
Thread the buttons right up to the top - small   medium large
 And then, twisty twisty twisty the 2 halves together (sometimes making your hands sore after 20 or so stems....) all the way to the bottom. You can always trim excess off with your QUALITY tungsten cutters.
 And it is that simple. But they look best in bunches of 5 or more.... the more the merrier!
You cab put 4 buttons on? and experiment with different feature buttons on the top.
Try and add ribbon tags and stems and leaves...???
experimentation is the best way to get a unique and wacky fun bouquet!
I still retail select packs of fabulous mixed buttons in my UK shop










Comments

  1. leave a comment if you want :) link to your own Buttons Projects?

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  2. Love your blog Kirsty - have never heard or even seen button jewellery - will be trying these button bouquets

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  3. Where did you get the big spotty buttons? Im after them and big stripey ones. Can seem to find them bigger than 15mm

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  4. in my shop!! http:// BigFish.etsy.com

    ReplyDelete

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