Does anyone have any good ideas on what to do with buttons? I have many old ones. I was wondering if it would be better to try to sell the buttons or use them for a craft project. Any project ideas?

They would be awesome on a wall hanging or other quilted items :D:D:D

I saw an idea on another site in which coloured buttons are sewn to the top of a pin cushion. you can then use the colours to 'sort' your needles into types.

If you have any decorative buttons, then they can be used as decoration!

i made a queen size quilt of four patch blocks that was reversible. put buttons on both sides in the center of all the four patch blocks.

I love large old buttons made into pins or magnets. I cut the back thingies off.

I get the really cute ones and make one of a kind hair clips for my SGD. She loves them. She has ballerinas ,fairy, bunnies, bears and Pom Pom spiders for Halloween. The sky is the limit.

USE them embellishment!!! they are wonderful, some are so beautiful.... I have some buttons that were on my grandmothers wedding dress, circa 1918....they are really special, haven't found the perfect project for them but I will!

I've seen them used in wall hanging crafts and framed crafts.

I just sewed 3 buttons on top of each other to make a closure for the bag in my avatar. I have 3 cake tins full of buttons but don't use them often.

Pat

I've used them for "tying" a quilt. Just sew the button on the front and either sew through the layers of the quilt or add another one on the back to match.

I have used them in clusters in crazy quilting.

I used buttons as part of the quilting on an appliqued quilt. 168 buttons later - gosh I hated buttons..... lol

I use at least one button, and often many more than one, on every quilt I make. I did an applique carousel horse once and lost one of the tails so I did that one tail all in brown buttons. I put that tail up near the top and my daughter (then six) would rub her fingers across them until she fell asleep. She's eighteen now and still has that quilt though she has put it away now for her someday daughter.

On a seed packet quilt I placed tiny lady bug buttons in various places on the plant pictures.

On my daughters wedding quilt, instead of a quilt tag, I embroidered the information onto the backing fabric, white on white, and placed a small pearl button under the embroidery work so it would be easier to find the corner that's embroidered.

Well, you get my meaning by now...I would keep them, cherish them and use them!

Some old buttons are quite valuable...maybe check around and see if some of the ones you have are. There are books about button collecting - maybe look at one at a book store or library. There are some sites on the internet that are really helpful. Search antique button collecting.

Buttons and lace for embellishments. Also I've got a pair of darling earrings made of buttons! Many, many uses for them. Good luck.

My cq block with a button cluster.

Very pretty. I love the lace and buttons embellishments. Nicely done.

Thanks for the great ideas.

Thanks, it was part of a challenge. We had to use the teacup fabric and 2 others, 2 charms and a piece of lace. It is full of meaningful things to me. The buttons were DGM's, the lace glove was DGM-in law's, there are many other memories. I thought it was apt as I collect tea cups too.
I have some buttons well over 100 years old, they are on posterboard that I gridded out and have the buttons secured to it with dental floss, then put in archival page protectors to view.
http://vintagebuttons.net/educational.html
http://www.buttonimages.com/ and more reading:
http://www.ohgosh-buttons.com/ oops, one more:
http://www.thebuttonbower.com/

piney