Looking for interesting buttons.
 

Taking a year long class and some of the blocks the instructions suggest using buttons as embellishments. They need to be flat so I can use the button attachment on my sewing machine.

Looking for something unique. We have in our town a Hobby Lobby, Hancock's and Joann's. Whenever I see something I like - it's not a flat button.

Any suggestions - like an online source? BTW, I'm using 30's prints for my blocks and machine appliqued flowers. Any information would be appreciated.

you could try making your own... i've not done it, so don't know the names of the proper types of clay. i saw some on a blog the other day and they were very pretty.

I like Nan's idea of making your own. I've made my own but not out of clay. At Joanne's & Hobby Lobby they sell something for kids called ShrinkyDinks. You draw your design on some type of plastic, put them in the oven and they shrink down. After they cool, I heat a nail with a lighter and poke holes to make them into buttons.

You could try a local thrift shop. I have found some pretty awesome vintage buttons lurking on some pretty awful old clothes at the thrift store. It is often cheaper for the whole garment than for a card of buttons at a fabric store. And are sometimes easier to get off the old garments than some of those new buttons that are wired to the cards!

Making clay buttons is not as easy as it sounds. I am a potter and a friend of mine made buttons from stone wear clay. You make the buttons, fire them in a kiln at very high temperatures, glaze them and then fire them again. There are certain types of clay that you can fire in your oven or air dry them but I am not sure how strong the button will be since i never worked with that tupe of clay. If it is for a wall hanging, not a problem, but for a quilt to be used and washed, I just do not know if these types of buttons would hold.
I saw some nice buttons sold by ACMoore, the craft store. Maybe you can try there, or estate sales, garage sales, and of course the eBay. Good luck.

I think the site was called "lots of buttons" .. But I can not find the link. Hopefully someone will post it .. They really had lots of buttons.

Thank you so much! I just googled it: http://www.lotsofbuttons.com

I'm going to be ordering from them. They have exactly what I've been looking for.

Thanks to all who responded - the forum members here are the best!

I've made Shrinky Dink buttons too, but I punch holes in them before shrinking. I just use a small hole punch, the kind you see ticket-takers use sometimes.

I have made buttons out of fimo clay you can use any color they have or mix your own color using 2 or more colors of clay you can also paint on them you bake them in your oven at a low temperture and they are very sturdy. If you want them shiny you can put floor wax on them but for something that would be washed I would use a more durable finish

I poke my holes in the skri ky dinks before i shrink them, use a hole puncher.

I second the idea of going to thrift shops and checking out the buttons on ready made garments! You can find some very interesting buttons on some clothing that you generally wouldn't think twice about looking at. And, yes you can get them cheaper than going to buy just the buttons!