One of the best ways to save money is to make minor clothing repairs yourself rather than paying someone else to do them for you. And one of the easiest repairs of all is to replace missing buttons on shirts, coats or pants. You can buy cards of buttons at any fabric store. My local fabric store has an entire wall of buttons in various sizes, shapes and colours.
But what if you only need one or maybe two buttons?
That’s where having a button box comes in handy. I’ve been collecting buttons since I first started sewing. But if you don’t already have a button box, it’s super easy to start one.
In fact, just this past Christmas, I made each of our daughters their own button box as one of their gifts.
I started out with a big pile of buttons.
Some came from my own button box. Some I got after placing an ad on Freecycle. And then, since I wanted our girls to have a really nice selection of buttons, I bought two bags of buttons at Michaels.
I filled these Christmas tins with the buttons I had gathered.
But you can use whatever container you may have around the house that has a lid that fits securely.
Then the next time you discover one of your or your spouse’s or your children’s clothing is missing a button, you can search through your button box for a match and make the repair.
And while you’re making one for yourself, make some to give away as small gifts to friends or family who are just starting their own households. Or if you’re needing a bigger gift, you could add one to a basket filled with thread, scissors and other sewing accessories to give as a wedding or house warming gift.
4 Comments
Lyndal
January 25, 2009 2:02 amthanks for dropping by mags and me. How did your girls like their new button stash?
Lyndal
Andrea
January 19, 2009 1:56 amI need a button box. I have buttons strewn throughout the house, tucked here and there. Good idea.
mom2fur
January 15, 2009 1:03 pmI love buttons! I have some old ones in a canning jar. I posted about using clean sushi-containers (they have clear tops) for storage, too. So far, I only have my white buttons in one, but I plan to divide them by color as I get the containers.
It’s fun to play with them, even at my age of almost-53. Kind of like a ball pit for grownups, LOL!
momstheword
January 14, 2009 4:51 pmI don’t really have a button box like yours. But I do have a special place where I put spare buttons. Sometimes I’ve needed them.
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