I’m very fussy about buttons. I always take ages choosing the right ones to add to a garment I’ve made. Sometimes when I’m buying something to wear, the buttons can sway me if I’m undecided. A favourite cardigan of mine – a cheap chain store one that I wear a lot, started to lose its buttons. They were quite innocuous fabric covered ones, but I’d lost a couple and the fabric on the front had come off some of the others.
My attempt to buy some replacements at a haberdashery didn’t go well. There was nothing that grabbed me at all. I could have gone with plain white pearly ones but didn’t;t fancy that. Black might have worked but I couldn’t find any small enough. Finding the right shade of green – a sort of chartreuse – wasn’t helping. I tipped out the contents of my button jar for inspiration and found a card of little mother of pearl buttons, just the right size and enough for the whole cardigan. I’d already decided against white. Then I had a brainwave – I coloured in the buttons with a light green Sharpie.
This gave just enough colour but was translucent enough to show the blue/pink/green iridescence of the mother of pearl. I sewed them on and now have buttons that match the cardigan. I’m not sure how long the colour will last but I can always grab that green Sharpie and touch up the colour. My favourite old cardigan not has a new lease of life!
Stitches by the Sea 