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Simple button and thread necklace for the purist in you ;)
I looked all over the internet for instructions on how to make a button necklace like this one my mom has - the buttons lie flat and there is no overlapping or weird hardware involved. So I just tried to remembere as much as I could about its construction and experimented away this weekend until I think I got a pretty good technique down.

I chose autumn coloured buttons that actually all came in a little bag I got on sale at Walmart. This necklace is for a craft swap that I'm doing and it's the first time I'm really trying my hand at jewelry of any sort.

It's a bit complicated to explain, but I'll do my best. Here goes:

Posted by Amy B. from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Published See Amy B.'s 72 projects »
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  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 1
    Step 1

    First step is that if your beads are different colours or shapes and you want to do a pattern, lay them all out in the order you want them in.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 2
    Step 2

    Thread your needle and fold the thread in half so you have two strands all the way down.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 3
    Step 3

    Tie the two ends to your first button and leave an inch or two for when you want to close it up.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 4
    Step 4

    So make sure to start with that your thread is coming out the bottom of your button.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 5
    Step 5

    Now thread your next button on up from underneath...

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 6
    Step 6

    and then back through and down again.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 7
    Step 7

    Now come up through that first hole of your button. Don't pull the thread too tight, you need a bit of breathing room for the next couple of steps.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 8
    Step 8

    So now you want to bring your needle in between the two buttons and put it in between the two threads that is connecting them right now. Again, don't pull toooo tight.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 9
    Step 9

    OK so now that your needle is on the bottom again, you need to come up through the 2nd hole (closest to the new button) and pull the thread through - again not too tight!

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 10
    Step 10

    Now you want to take your needle and poke it through the two strands of both the upper and lower connecting threads. Pull the needle right through and now is the time you can work the buttons and the needle to make the threads taught so the buttons sit right up against each other nice and flat.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 11
    Step 11

    Last step before you start it all over again with your next button: bring your needle back up through the first hole of the 2nd button and back out and down again. Now you're right back to where you began and you can add your next button!

  • Step 12

    Since I haven't used jewelry fixin's before, I decided not to start today and just tied the two ends together after I weaved them into each other like the rest. I also found that I had to add extra thread a couple of times so I just knotted it in and cut the ends really short and superglued them down.

  • How to make a button necklace. Button Necklace - Step 13
    Step 13

    Here's one last close up of how it looks when you finish. I used 48 of these small/medium sized buttons and used my boyfriend's head as a guide to how big to make it - I wanted my swap buddy to be able to fit it over her head so hopefully her head isn't bigger than his!

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Comments

Dee S.
Dee S. · London, GB · 41 projects
Very good attempt for someone who is new to jewellery making. You can findings known as calotte (also as clam shells, I will be more than happy to provide instructions if you wish. Just let me know.

Thanks again for sharing, I think you will go very far, keep it up!!
Reply
Jet H.
Jet H. · Haarlem, North Holland, NL · 108 projects
nice job, great tut, i love this.
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