Fabric Button Magnets
23rd Dec 2021
Fabric button magnets are a great project for all the fabric enthusiasts out there who love to use every last bit of scrap fabric. I really enjoyed the process of fussy cutting the 2” circles needed to make the buttons. These would make great gifts for any occasion and to top it off they are quick to make and easy for beginners. I will share with you some creative ways to package the buttons for gift giving.
Materials needed:
Fabric scraps with assorted designs from Classic Membership
Dritz 1 ⅛” fabric cover buttons and tool kit from Joann's Fabric
¾” magnets to glue on the back
E-6000 glue
Small hammer
To get started gather together your fabrics to fussy cut the designs. I used mostly scrap fabric that easily fit within the 2” clear template. You can skimp a little but it all needs to wrap around to the back with enough fabric to catch under the metal cap that snaps onto the back.
The template is perfect to clearly see the design that will show on the front of the button. Next take the dome shaped button and press it into the clear plastic mold with the fabric right side out.
It is a good idea to take a look and make any minor adjustments to the design before placing the flat metal back.
Carefully arrange the fabric on the back so that when you place the flat metal disk in place the raw edges of the fabric are enclosed under the backing. Place the blue cup spacer tool on top of the metal disk. Use a small hammer to lock the disk in place with a little pounding .
Pop the button out of the clear cup and admire your adorable fussy cut button! Repeat the process to make a collection of buttons. Now you are ready to add magnets to the back. I recommend the E-6000 glue for a secure and permanently adhered magnet.
I had a delightful time creating 50 button magnets to share with my Quilty friends and my fellow fabric enthusiast at Cotton Cuts! For display I used a galvanized charger plate to be passed around at the holiday party for the guest to choose a magnet. It was fun sharing the “eye candy” and watching friends choose their favorite button.
If you would like to package as individual gifts you could use glue dots on decorative cardstock. I wanted to place the buttons on a magnetic surface so I purchased a metal electrical box cover from Home Depot for .68 and covered it with Dollar Tree Vinyl for a festive look.
You can easily fit 3 buttons on the metal plate and place it in a clear cellophane bag tied with coordinating fabric scraps for a bow.
While I was shopping at the Dollar Tree I found some small metal pencil boxes ideal to display a coordinating set of magnets. I have found these at different times throughout the year in the office supply section. In addition to magnets you could use smaller diameter buttons and make thumb tacks, or even earrings and matching necklace pendant depending on what you glue to the back. You could even glue it to a wristband to make a needle minder as shown in this tutorial from Becca at Pretty Piney.
This was a fun way to share the awesome assortment of fabric found in Cotton Cuts Membership boxes throughout the past year. Now is a good time to sign up so you don’t miss out on all the fabulous new fabrics in 2022!