Following on from my last post (Dragon Bag).. I wanted a button closure but didn't want it to look out of place. Didn't really take long for a button moon to pop into my head - only problem: I didn't HAVE a button anything like a moon! So I decided to have a pop a making my own..
Inspiration came from 2 of my blogger friends this time:
Nicola at Clasheen blogged about some gorgeous little brooches she was doing as a mini workshop.. I think these are so cool, she had so cleverly used tiny resists to create texture.. I could picture a moon with tiny craters.
A while ago Heather blogged about a gorgeous felt & leather button that she had made.. I loved this button. I decided to have a play and try making my own version... as a full moon. I certainly ENJOYED myself making them.. and will make other buttons in the future. As far as my bag goes though THANK GOODNESS for Sharri of Buttonalia; she is making me some moony buttons as I write this :) I am so excited to see what she comes up with - and I know its going to be a lot better than my moons lol.
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| I laid out a piece of 'textural' felt with loads of different silky bits; fabric, hankies, fibres, caps. Mostly white but with some deep gold (naturally dyed) which is actually UNDER the silk hankies on this pic.. you can just make out a glow |
I chickened out at the last minute from doing the tiny resists.. not sure why. I felted it really hard. When it was dry I cut circles and using the darning foot on my machine, freemotioned some 'craters' - they all look like grinning halloween skulls to me ...
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| Button backs - from the left: * felt back with floss loop - this is the inner piece of felt * leather back glued on * leather back sewn on (just machine stitched around the edge through both felt layers plus the leather * leather back sewn on first to the back felt layer in radiating circles to make it flatter then around the edge through all 3 layers |
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| Pleased with how the loop turned out. I cut a hole in the leather disk and threaded the loop through before attaching it. |
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| Glued on - not very happy with this one |
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| Zig-zag stitched through all 3 layers just around the edge. This was ok.. but I wondered if attaching it more securely to the back layer of felt would make it stiffer. |
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| bit creepy.. |
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| Stitching the leather & felt at intervals did make it feel STURDIER |
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| mmm |
Glad I played around with this though.. even if I'mnot planning to use them :) it was interesting and different. I would do things differently again next time (apart from using interesting and colourful felt.. HAND embroidery and maybe some beads.. I shall try handstitching the leather back on to see how that looks.
Next post will be the finished bag (I hope).. I VERY nearly finished it a few days ago.. then decided to change the way I was doing the handle.
xoxo
