Over the past few years we have seen at Calico Laine and across the country, a huge resurgance in the popularity of handmade items. This mainly came about due to the recession and people adopting the war time theory of  'Make Do and Mend'. We have found that during this period one of our most popular items is our Self Cover Buttons. Self Cover Buttons come in two different types, metal and nylon (also known as plastic) and a range of different sizes from 11mm up to 38mm. They come in two seperate parts which can then be covered with your own fabric and pushed together to complete the button. This is ideal if you are making a garment where you want the buttons to match the pattern on the rest of the outfit or if you are struggling to find buttons to match, you can simply make your own to match. If you are looking to make one garment and only need a small amount of buttons we sell Self Cover Button Cards which include just a few buttons. However, if you are planning on making a number of items we also sell bulk buy Self Cover Buttons. These come in a box of 100 and again are in both metal and nylon. In our range here at Calico Laine we also sell a Self Cover Button Tool to assist you in making your covered buttons. From personal experience I find that this tool is essential and very handy to have. The packaging on the tool gives you a small chart showing the different sizes your fabric should be in order to cover different size buttons. This is an excellent guide and can be kept if you decide to make numerous buttons. The tool itself comes in two parts suitable for making the 11mm buttons up to the 29mm buttons.  With this tool it is much easier to manage the buttons, especially the smallest sizes and makes it easier to both fold the fabric around the button and attach the back. I cannot recommend this tool enough! Another use we have found for Metal Self Cover Buttons in the largest size, 38mm and 29mm is making badges and brooches. These can be covered with fabric that has a pattern on it already or with plain fabric and a design embroidered on to it. A simple safety pin can then be added onto the back and you have a simple but effective brooch. If you have any other suggestions on how to use our range of Self Cover Buttons please feel free to comment below or maybe you can post a picture onto our Facebook page to show us your creations. Until next time, Laura, Calico Laine