Want to make the button jewelry yourself? Then this package complete with autographed book and jewelry-making supplies is just for you! Includes beads, silk jewelry cord, findings and two different sizes of Kurumi buttons. Click here for more info on the jewelry-making package or to bid.

Check out the rest of the items up for bid at the KENW-TV Online Auction. There are a lot of great deals and more are being added all the time. Bidding ends on June 10, 2010. Happy shopping!

Watch the video and then scroll down for the supplies list and step-by-steps. Don’t forget to download the free pattern sheet. (Pattern sheet is in PDF. You’ll need Adobe Reader to open this document.)

For each brooch you will need:
3 1/2″ square background fabric
2″ square fabric for flower
1″ square fabric for flower center
3 1/4″ square lightweight fusible woven interfacing
2″ x 3″ fusible web
40 wt. rayon thread for appliqué
2 1/2″ square cotton batting or low loft polyester batting
Double-stick tape
Small pair of pliers
Hot fix crystals
Crystal applicator wand, mini iron, or household iron to apply crystals
1 1/2″ half ball cover button (brass)
1″ long pin/pendant finding with double-faced adhesive pad

1. Trace the flower of your choice and circle patterns onto paper side of fusible web.

2. Following manufacturers’ instructions, iron the fusible web to the wrong side of the flower and circle fabrics, and iron the fusible interfacing centered on the wrong side of the background fabric.

3. Cut out the flower and circle appliqués and fuse to the middle of the interfaced background fabric. You can place the circle in the middle of the flower or slightly off-center. When making the Jasmine pin, it is easier to fuse and stitch the flower shape before fusing the circle on the flower.

4. Using a small zig zag or machine stitch of your choice and rayon thread, appliqué around the raw edges of the flower and circle shapes.

You can choose matching or contrasting thread depending on the effect desired.  Other machine stitch possibilities include blanket/buttonhole stitch, satin, invisible, or straight. You might even want to experiment with a fun decorative stitch.

Stop needle down in the background fabric to turn the fabric on the curves.  It will be every stitch or two on the tight curves such as on the tips of the Jasmine petals. Pull the thread ends to the wrong side with a hand needle and tie off.

5. Put a small piece of double-stick tape on the top of the button form. Stick the button to the center of the piece of batting. Cut the batting even with the edge of the button so you have a circle of batting on top of your button.

6. Use the pattern from the button package to trace around and cut out the appliquéd fabric with the flower centered in the middle.

7. Use the pliers to pull the wire button shank out of the button top.

8. Stretch the appliquéd fabric circle over the button top and assemble the cover button according to the manufacturer’s directions.

9. Embellish with hot fix crystals, following directions of your applicator wand.

If you don’t have an applicator wand you can use a Clover mini iron or a household iron with crystals up to 4mm in size. Use a cotton setting, no steam. Be extra careful not to burn yourself if you are using a regular household iron. Place the crystal, glue side down in the desired spot. Surgical tweezers are sometimes helpful in placing crystals. Press lightly for 10-20 seconds, and check with your fingernail to make sure it is well adhered. If not, press a little longer.

10. Attach the pin/pendant finding to the back of your brooch according to the manufacturer’s directions. Enjoy!

If you’re not into brooches, why not turn your Bloomin’ Button into a pendant, magnet, purse jewelry, or an embellishment for quilts or scrapbooks!

Download Bloomin’ Buttons pattern sheet. (Pattern sheet is in PDF. You’ll need Adobe Reader to open this document.)

For more fabric cover-button fun see my book, Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Cover-Button Jewelry: Create Gifts & Glamour in an Afternoon, by C&T Publishing.

Here’s a peek at one of the most exciting things I’ve been doing recently: taping some episodes for the Creative Living with Sheryl Borden Show.

I thought it would be a breeze, since I’m used to teaching quilting and crafting techniques, but there are a few significant differences between TV and the live classroom. For one, your time limit is minutes, not hours. And two, if you mess up, you have to start all over from the very beginning. But Sheryl made the taping easy and fun, so I wasn’t stressed at all. I’m so excited to share my fabric cover-button techniques in hi-def!

dressing your coffee cup in style

blooming button jewelry to embellish clothes & quilts

vintage fabric fabric cover-button crafts

fun fabric appliques for card making & scrapbooking

These segments will air on Creative Living in 2011, but I’ll give you a YouTube preview soon!

Quilters know quilt shows, but in case you’ve never been to a CHA show, here’s my Top Ten List of Cool Stuff you’ll find at CHA:

#10. Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Pencils: Fabulous oil-based colored pencils: Strong, smooth, sharp, gorgeous colors, great for blending, plus no fading or waxy buildup. Need I say more?

#9. Soft Flex’s Trios: Love color? Love to make jewelry? Soft Flex colored beading wire now comes in fabulous variety packs. Here are two of my favorites from the new 2010 collection: Egg Hunt and Be My Valentine.

#8. Halina Tepper, Button Sculptor: Halina make amazing sculptures from buttons and recycled materials.

20,000 buttons are sewn onto this lion!

The cute mouse pincushion has slightly fewer buttons than the lion, but would make a fun addition to any sewing room.

These little kangaroos give you a peek at how the button sculptures are made. The buttons on the finished kangaroo are made from the same used glue bottles that form the base.

#7. Provo Craft’s Cricut Cake: Use scrapbooking Cricut cartridges in the Cricut Cake machine (specially made to be food-safe, don’t try this at home with your Cricut Expression!) to make sugar gum paste cutouts to decorate cakes with. These super cute animals look like “cake appliques” to me. Peel and stick. How cool is that? Now anybody can be a cake decorator! (Available April 2010)

#6. Epiphany Crafts‘ Button Studio & Shape Studio: As easy and fun as paper punches, make paper- or photo-backed epoxy scrapbooking charms and buttons. (Available April 2010)

Come back tomorrow to find out #1-5!

See my Pocket Full of Posies post for step-by-step directions on how to cover a kurumi button. Want to see kurumi buttons on some quilts? Check out the Pocket Full of Posies block on my Pocket Full of Posies post and my Bling Your Bindings! sample quilt on the Muse Monday: Bubbles! post.

These are my all-time favorite earrings, the ball & chain kurumi earrings, made with kurumi buttons and some fab vintage fabric I recycled from a thrift shop house dress. They’re super light, super fun to wear, and go with just about everything.

See my book, Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Cover-Button Jewelry for more about making jewelry from kurumi buttons. {You can find my book and kurumi buttons in my online shop.}

Here’s something else that’s new as well, some of my recent jewelry designs.

1). Returning my house to BQ (before quilting). No wait, quilting predates this house. Well anyway, I’m still working at that.

2). Jewelry making. I’ve completed two bracelets and started a pair of earrings. I need to buy some head pins before I can finish those.

3). Making a hanging sleeve for Zéphirine Drouhin.

4). Fixing up the first face I made for Zéphirine Drouhin. This one will be #2 in the Old Garden Rose series, Reine des Violettes, a purple rose, so I gave her purple hair. I believe Reine des Violettes translates as Queen of the Violets, so I get to make a crown!

5). Pulling fabric from my stash for Reine des Violettes. These are mostly batiks, with a few commercial prints and Bali hand-dyed. The one on top will most likely be the main background. Yes, the light design is fish or fish bones, something like that, but I think they will be covered up enough that it won’t matter anyway. Now I can create a fabric shopping list. I might have to make a list for beads too, as I use the same stash for my jewelry and my quilts. My recent jewelry seems to be the same palette as this quilt will be.

6). Doing final edits on a children’s book manuscript I wrote some time back and set aside until I had a chance to do sample illustrations for it. Finally decided I don’t have the patience for that, and should decide where to send it. I have another almost-finished story. I can always illustrate that one another time.

happy quilting!