How To Make Buttons Made of Clay & My Latest Projects on the Needles

A few of my fellow crafters have admired my clay buttons and some wanted to know if it is something easily done; so instead of giving my usual written reply, a lightbulb suddenly came on in my head to show how it is done in photos and place them on my Blog....

So here it is! You will have to forgive me. A few of the photos came out a bit fuzzy. For some reason, I cannot always get my digital camera to focus sharply when I need it to, and I did not feel like getting out the instruction manual to figure it out. It's like digging into an encyclopedia.

First, let's look at the basic equipment.....

Here is the clay I use. It is made by Sculpey Bake in the Oven Clay and used to be available at WalMart. It still might be, I haven't checked in a few years. I purchased my 'Starter Pack' from Walmart which included various cakes of clay and two sculpting tools which you will see later. The problem with the Starter Pack is the color range. You only get basic colors. If you like colors with a capital "C" you have to find a store that sells art supplies. I found what I needed at AC Moore. I have to make it clear that Sculpey makes a variety of clays. The larger packs you see above named Studio does not to my knowledge come in a 'variety pack' like the smaller packs of SculpeyIII. If you do a "Google" you can visit the Sculpey website where you can see their entire line of products and they also have creative ideas for you to try as well.

Here is another photo showing the two sculpting tools included with the Starter Pack. I suppose you can purchase these tools separately. I've never noticed because I didn't have a need.

Here's a close-up of the clay tools.

The clay is 'scored' into sections. So here; I have broken off a scored section and I am getting ready to 'work it.' You have to soften the clay and make it malleable. You're pretty much working the clay like you would pie crust, except you won't get your hands all messy and sticky.

Work the clay with your fingers to get it soft and bendable. Only takes about two minutes.

Here is a yellow piece after working it between my fingers, squeezing it flat, folding it over, working it flat again. It just needs to feel your body heat to do this.

Fold the clay over and 'work it'

Fold it over again...

Here is the general shape the clay should take to make your button. It can be larger. It depends upon how much clay you are using. Just make sure it is smooth across the entire surface. You can do this with your fingertips. Make pretend you are shaping dough to make biscuits. The thickness would be about a quarter of an inch. It can be adjustable, depending upon your needs. You will need to experiment the first time to get your fingers and creative juices used to working with the clay. My buttons are chunky. I call them "Freddy Flintstone Buttons."

Put your penny or dime on the clay.

You will need a penny or a dime to use as a guide for the size of the button. Nichels and quarters are just too large unless you are making them as a decorative button for an adult garment.

Just as in biscuit making, after you have rolled out the dough and are ready to use your cutter, place the penny or dime on top of the dough, and use your clay tool (the one with the edge shaped like a knife) to trace around the coin. This will give you a general shape. Use your fingertips to perfect the shape along the rim.

Now you are ready to make the buttonholes.

If you knit or crochet, you will always have a sewing needle for yarn. Get yours out and decide where on the face of the button you would like to make two buttonholes. Stick it in. Push the needle in from front to back until the eye of the needle has travelled out the other end, and while the eye of the needle is making its way through the clay gently twirl the needle around to make sure that once the clay has baked, the hole will be large enough to get that same needle through when you are trying to sew it onto the garment.

It doesn't have to be perfect, just functional. These are for babies. Babies and children like things a little 'odd.' It's more interesting to their psyche (mine too!).

Here are two buttons with holes. The pink shows the 'right' side of the button. The yellow one shows the back of the buttonhole. The back will always have that 'puckered' look. Don't worry about it. It's the back!

I just know someone is going to be curious as to how I mix my colors and come out with those great looking wild buttons; so here it is.

First of all; it you can't find a specific shade or color you need, don't be afraid to mix two or three colors of clay together. It's just like in school when you mixed paints or crayons to get a color: blue and yellow make green, etc.

Just break off the colors of clay and work each color separately to make it flat and soft. Then mix the two together like a pancake and squeeze and bend and roll, then flatten out again. You will see a different color as the two merge together.

You can join two colors together, but not fully merge them. In that case, you get a candy-cane effect like the photo above.

You can take that flat shape and roll it like a Tootsie Roll in the palm of your hand and make a cigar shape as shown above.

Take a flattened sheet of clay the thickness and color of your choice and place the cigar shaped clay as pictured above.

Roll that bad boy like you are making "pigs in a blanket." But make sure there are no air pockets. Roll it tightly. You'll know once you work with it and are able to look at it in person

Here's an example of clay not rolled tightly enough. You can see some air pockets after cutting the clay.

Here is where I merged orange clay around another color.

Here is what it looks like after cutting the clay. You just roll and shape into a jelly-roll shape and cut just like you are making sugar cookies.

A slightly closer view..........

A view of a button next to a penny....

Finally, we are ready to bake these bad boys! You will need a glass pyrex plate as shown above. The shape does not matter, just make sure it is glass. Place the buttons face up in the glass baking dish and make sure they are not touching. They can be closer together than what is shown in the photo above.

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees (American) and bake your buttons for about 20 minutes minimum. Bake longer if they are more than one-quarter inch thick. The instructions on the clay wrapper will give more detailed baking instructions. The important thing is that you not burn the clay. I haven't had such a total disaster, but they will deepen in color if left in the oven too long.

Put the buttons in and bake.

Now! Last but not least, as they say, are two knitting projects I am working on at the present time. Wish me "God-speed" in completing them soon. I'm in one of those moods where "I have to do something" and haven't found the perfect pattern to really excite me, so this is 'a better than nothing' project.

This is a scarf. Not for warmth. This would be more of an early Spring or early Fall scarf. The yarn is mercerized cotton from Elann.com
The Free pattern can be found here: http://shop.thescarfer.net/blog/?p=82#more-82

This is a baby blanket. I like basketweave, but it can have a boring look about it; therefore, I always stay away from knitting it. This pattern is different as you can see. The edge of the blanket is bordered with a miniature basketweave pattern and gives it just enough 'excitement' to keep me interested, and keeps you on your toes. The free pattern can be found here:

http://www.debbiemacomber.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=nnp&pageID=194

I'm Late Again..

I had two 'unexpected' babies to knit for these past few months. Well, one was unexpected. The other one was placed on my agenda, but I thought I had a few more months (like until this Fall) to get my gift together; but the baby was born prematurely and a sudden baby shower fell out of the plain blue sky, and my plans went out the window! I intended to do my usual of a sweater, hat, mittens and car seat blanket for the cold months of fall and winter but had to come up with something quick; so much for intentions! A sweater, a few hats and a baby washcloth was all I had time for.

Of course, of all the clay buttons I had in my stash, nothing matched to my satisfaction; so that meant pulling out the clay and making new ones.

Here is the latest batch of buttons. Good thing these sweaters are for newborns, because my buttons look like tempting pieces of candy.

Here's a close-up:

Here are photos of the sweater, hats and washcloths:

A slightly better view of the hats

And last, but not least is a photo of the Little One being fed by his Mom:

The unexpected birth was from a young woman near my town who shovels snow off my roof in the winter. I called to make sure she would still be available for winter and discovered she had given birth to a baby girl. Out of the blue, I asked if she would like a sweater and hat for her child, and of course; she said Yes. So here is the sweater and hat. The hat is from a purchased pattern and called "Porcupine," and can be found here:

http://www.woollywormhead.com/wee-woolly-toppers/

Another view of the hat

I guess by now you must be wondering why I tend to use the same sweater pattern when there are countless others out there.

I have a fondness for this one because it is a densely knitted fabric (all garter stitch) and the batwing shaped sleeves are great for trapping and retaining body heat. In the cool and cold months you need all the warmth you can get.

The pattern isn't supposed to have a collar, but I added one for extra neck warmth. I just don't like the idea of a baby being cold or chilly. The pattern only calls for 4 buttons, but I added an extra one to make sure the sweater traps in the warmth.

Whew..... It's Been A While

Whew! It's been a while since I have posted, and I don't know where the time goes, but it goes by so swiftly these days, yet you seem to be less productive. It seems like I never manage to "get finished" and stay that way.

I love knitting for my Babies, and there is always another new one to add to the 'fold.' Plans to knit something for myself never happens. I might experiment on a hat just to take a break; but whether it is wearable or not is another story.

I knitted a shawl for a woman whom I've known since I was 4 years old, and just got it into the mail a few weeks ago only to receive news that she passed away from damage received from a stroke. I forgot to take photos, so have nothing to show you in my Blog. I also knitted a scarf for her daughter, who was her mother's devoted caretaker the past 3 or 4 years. My Spirit kept telling me to "hurry up" and get this shawl to her while she could still appreciate it, and I dragged my feet thinking she would 'be there' because she always was....


I don't know where the summer went. The Fall is travelling swiftly by and winter is a breath away. My 'adopted babies' need new sweaters and hats because they have grown since last year. Two newbies entered the scene this year; and one little one who was born in California is making the move to live in St. Louis the first of the year; so car seat blanket, warm sweater, hats and mittens will be made for her. This entry is to share photos of what I have been doing this late spring, summer and fall. And I'm still not finished......


Where are those extra eight arms when you need them??


Here is a hooded sweater I knitted for Baby Carter who was born in August and lives in Vermont.


Here is his Car Seat Blanket. You know living in Vermont means cold winters.....


Here are three-quarters of Carter's ensemble. I did knit some mittens, but neglected to take a snapshot..


Here is a Car Seat Blanket for little Micala who arrived as a New Year's present to her parents. I did not have the pleasure of meeting her until she was 6 months old. Since she lives in my town, and I know how cold winters can be, she gets "the works."


Here is a sweater for Micala with my oven-baked clay buttons


This sweater was knitted this past winter (it's a Baby Surprise Sweater), and at the time I had no one to give it to. Just wait a short while and babies always pop up....


Here is a hat and thumbless mittens for Micala as well.


The whole kit and kaboodle...


This sweater and hat was knitted for little Ruth who lives in my town. She's a 'regular.' I've been knitting for her for three years now.


This sweater is for Ruth's brother who turns a year old this month. This is a little shy of what I plan to knit for him, so he's also getting another sweater, hat, and mittens by the end of this month, or early next.


This is a Car Seat Blanket for little Selena, who will be moving from California to St Louis in a few months. If all goes well, two sweaters and hats will accompany this.


As you can tell; I just love this pattern. It gives striking patterns to focus on and makes the most of variegated yarn. I always avoided using variegated yarn before I learned this knitting technique.

A variety of yarn brands were used to create the above articles. In the mix were Red Heart Kids, I Love This Yarn (still the best of them all for softness, weight, warmth and cost), and Vanna White's Yarn.
For the knit-aholics who will read this, I now have a yarn stash in two states: Maine and Massachusetts! No matter where you roam, being at home means nothing without your stash of yarn close by to pick up and begin using.

Projects On My Needles....

I find myself wishing I could knit about 15 things at once and get them all finished in a week. However, I have to be realistic and accept that I can only accomplish so much.

Having said that; I am at a stage in my life where I am feeling 'bold' and beginning to tackle techniques I used to steer clear of for fear of failing; or because I felt I did not have enough patience to do a good job. Maybe this 'boldness' is coming from the stage in a woman's life when she reaches the Age of Crones. When I say "Crone" I know it evokes an image of an old witch with a warted nose, bent over, and wearing a black dress and matching pointed hat in your mind. But in today's world, the term Crone means the time in a woman's life when she has passed through the many trials and tribulations of youth and has grown in knowledge and inner wisdom. It gives us patience, patience, and more patience. It allows us to 'saunter' through life feeling an inner peace and knowing that no matter what is happening around and with you; everything will eventually be fine.

In my knitting life, I am feeling more and more compelled to create items with cables and to begin knitting lace.

When I look at pattern instructions for cabled sweaters and scarves, I used to cringe. I have overcome that fear to a great extent. Having 'tackled' a scarf for my friend Steve; I am now knitting a toddler sweater that is 100 percent cabled; front, back, and sleeves.

Here is the back:

And below is another photo of the back ........

When this sweater is completed, it will go into my 'finished items' stash and find a home wherever my Spirit tells me to send it. It could be to a toddler nearby, or sent to whatever project my All Crafts For Charity" Yahoogroup is working on at the moment.

The second project I am working on is a scarf for an elderly gentleman in Boston who is a barber by profession and has been cutting hair for well over 50 years. He has cut the hair of two men I know for decades, and I would just like to give him a token of love for being who he is and doing what he does.

I think when you get into the Crone Era of your life, you begin to look at life differently, and appreciate those around you who have 'stood the course' and has always been there doing whatever it is they do. They are the 'great oak trees of humanity' and should be recognized for their stability.

So here is the scarf I am knitting for Mr Fontes. It is a wonderfully textured pattern using plain knit and purl stitches; but it is a 44 row pattern repeat. The good news is; after 44 rows, you have a minimum of 7 and a half inches of scarf; so it works up quickly.

My scarf will be approximately 42 inches long and I am half way through it now and have only worked on it two days.

I haven't decided if I am going to 'block' the scarf or not when I am finished. I love the texture just the way it is........


A real close-up of the stitches....

My final project is a lap-afghan for a woman who used to live across the street from the home I was raised in. She was my baby-sitter after I came from school until my great-aunt came home from work. She did this until I was 10 years old and to this day she communicates with me every year, and still thinks of me as "her baby." She also owned a Beauty Shop and used to do my hair for special occasions as a child. She is in wonderful mental health and only her legs are a little weak in the twilight years of her life.

I have only begun to knit the lap-ghan and hope to have it finished by Mother's Day....

Here's a closer view of the stitches.....

Inching Along....

I am still in Massachusetts and getting used to being here. I ventured into my old Fabric store the other day searching for buttons for my latest baby sweater and was mesmerized by the huge collection of beautiful fabrics! Made me want to get out the old sewing machine again and start sewing something..... Anything! Back in the day, I used to have fabric stashes, and sewed like crazy! I had to tear myself out of the store because just like yarn, fabric beckons to you, and can be even more seductive.

I haven't grown those ten extra hands yet, therefore I only have two new articles to share. One is a sweater for a lovely little baby who lives in Southern California named Selena. Quite the little Queen that one.. and the other is a scarf I knitted as a contribution for my online Charity Group. The scarf will be one of many donated to Woven Lotus; a group of caring individuals who helps those who have been sexually abused in one way or another and are in crisis. The scarves and shawls are given as gifts of Love in hopes that the individual will somehow feel that he or she is unconditionally loved at a time when they most need to be.

Here are the photos:

I have knitted this pattern once before and I really like it because of the lacy-leaf design along the front. The seed stitch adds texture, and I really don't like to knit large areas of it, but it gives this pattern 'just the right touch.'

A slightly different view...

Here is the back view of the sweater. The pattern instructions required that I knit the back plain; but I love the leaf pattern so much, I incorporated my own version on the back. I think I might be ready to start knitting larger lace patterns... I have been searching for "just the right" shawl or scarf.

Here is the scarf. The lighting was 'off' the day that I took this photo and parts of the scarf appear more pink than others.

The Latest Projects and A Yarn "Report"

I haven't gotten as much knitting done on winter-hiatus as I should have. It seems I have to 'work' knitting into my day, and if I am not feeling in a "Zen" mode, I don't pursue anything of a creative nature because the "love" won't freely stream from my fingertips into the yarn as I weave a fabric that will eventually envelope someone's body. I am learning a lot about how living in a highly populated area blocks your energy. You don't even have to be "out and about." The "energy" finds you and "builds," causing an underlying irritating 'stress.' That stress blocks creative energy. This is why you will find the more highly creative people living in a rural area, or a lightly populated town. They must be in an easily accessible nature-filled setting. It makes all the difference in the world.

When you live in a place like that a peace opens your thoughts to the universal mind of Creation, and it is from this place you develop a two way communication with what needs to come into the world through your hands. Whether you knit, paint, crochet, woodwork, weave, make jewelry, sew, quilt, etc., you are always inspired through the universal mind of Creation while doing your work. Enough for now of my experience with "spirituality" and back to knitting.

I wanted to knit another Baby Surprise Jacket and did, although it seemed to 'drag on and on' and I could not wait to finish it. I used Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn" acrylic. A few members on my charity knitting group raved about it and I had to send away for it because it isn't sold in the 'usual' yarn stores. Only the Hobby Lobby stores do, and unfortunately, it does not have outlets in every state. They do have an online store http://www.craftsetc.com/ that gives great service and the prices are about as fair as everywhere else. Also; you get free shipping if your order is $25 or more. And free shipping today is a wonderful thing....

I love Hobby Lobby's private brand of yarn. I'm waiting for my third shipment. Their acrylics are superior to other brands. The yarn texture is not skimpy; is soft, but not 'wimpy' as some other brands can sometimes be. Their worsted cotton is much better than what I have been using for years (Peaches and Cream), soft and silky. It makes wonderful dishcloths and washcloths and doesn't "stiffen up" on you when dry. It dries quickly. The only complaint I have is; there is a limited color range but they have added variegated colors, which is just great!

They have also added a wool yarn: worsted weight which is 93% wool and 6% polyamide; 219 yards for $5.99. Colors are limited, but maybe they are waiting to see who's interested before they expand the collection. I would say their wool is more of a heavy worsted weight because they recommend using a size 9 needle. I have ordered one skein to see if I like it.

Here is the baby sweater I knitted with their acrylic:

The Front...........

The Back.........

For the Knitters who are reading this; I have included a photo of "I Love This Cotton" along side the acrylic "I Love This Yarn" ($2.79) so you can see how large the skein is. The cotton is $2.99 but well worth it for the quality. I have knitted with several other cotton yarns, and this one is ..... well, let me say that I will lean towards this brand for my dishcloths. For facecloths, this is the only yarn I will use because of the silky, sensuous texture when it is wet and soaped. Nothing 'scratchy' about the woven fabric at all.

These are dish and washcloths made with "I Love This Cotton." The washcloths are being donated to a Nursing Home in Virginia. The dishcloths are mine....... Geri; if you are reading this, some are coming your way in the future. You will love them!

I am also working on a Shawl for no one in particular. I want to see how it turns out first. It's a dig through your yarn stash and knit away shawl.

Here is an updated photo after adding another color.

I found a local neighborhood yarn shop (which is as scarce as hen's teeth, believe it or not) in Boston that sells high-end fibers about 2 miles from where I am staying. I went in, looked around, came out with 4 skeins of yarn and $40 less in my pocketbook! It has been so long since I have actually touched or looked at "new, fresh skeins of yarn," I was beginning to feel 'deprived.' I actually felt 'yarn-sick' and something was coming out of that store with me whether I was excited about it or not!

Here is what I came out with..........

The Lamb's Pride I already had; but the two skeins of Noro is what I took a chance on, and though I LOVE the colors in each skein, I do not like the feel of this yarn. It is scratchy like Lopi. I don't think I will buy it again unless a project absolutely has to have it and there is no substitution.

Here is a 'close-up' of the pink variegated....

And a close-up of the blue-green

The Lamb's Pride ..... is a good value for the combination of wool and mohair mix. It is most definitely a warm wool. I can personally attest that it has been tested in the sometimes 'artic' cold of Maine.

Here is the other yarn I purchased. A nice soft, yet firm wool. Not like some worsted wools that are 'air-whipped' and actually leans towards being a light-worsted weight.

When my new shipment of yarn comes in I'll have to purchase another clear zipper storage bag to store it in. The bag I brought from home is packed pretty much to the gills. I left a hefty 3 storage bags of yarn at home and travelled with enough yarn to keep me 'busy' knowing full well how much I love to add to my stash which I have been doing....