Adjustable Button Necklace

April 10, 2010, Leina Neima, Comments: 20


This wonderful tutorial is made by Petronella Luiting specially for our project "Tarbetust tarvilikuks" (Trash to treasure) - in witch we share tutorials of recycling and reusing things. This project is in Estonian language but some of the texts will be available in English as well...



There are plenty of fab tutorials in Estonian version of the page - you can check them out HERE. Don't speak Estonian? No problem just crab Google Translate and follow clear and good photos of the instructions. Happy discovering!  



Project is supported by EAA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms through Fund for NGOs.



Click the link and...



Do you have old buttons in the house ? I am sure you do, and if not I am sure you know someone who does. Don't throw them away, because they can become a very lovely necklace. For this tutorial I gathered a lot of old bone, wood and coconut buttons. But you can use all other kind of buttons just as you want. So, here we go.


Material needed:

  • Old buttons
  • Some kind of cord; this must be thin enough to go through the button holes, but it must also be strong enough to hold the bunch of buttons you are going to use (I used here shoe-lace cord, but you can also use some thin rope, or some strong yarn, etc.)
  • Needle (the eye of the needle must be large enough for the cord but also small enough to go through the button holes; just try it out)
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape

Step 1:


Measure about 150 cm of the cord and cut it off; thread this piece on the needle you are going to use. Then you take your first button and string it on the thread: from the wrong side of the button to the right side in one hole, and then back again through another hole from the right side to the wrong side of the button. Shove the button to a distance of about 40 cm from the other end of the cord. 

Step 2:

Take another button and string that on the cord in the same way as the first button; thus, from the wrong side of the button to the right side in one hole, and then back again through another hole from the right side to the wrong side of the button. Shove the button on to the first button; the two buttons will now face each other with their wrong sides, and both right sides are showing.

Step 3:

Repeat step 2 as long as you like the necklace to be (I made it here about 50 cm long).

Step 4: the adjustable closure.

Take a button with 2 really big holes (the cord has to go twice through each hole). String it on again, but do not shove it to the others; leave it at about 10 cm from the end of the cord.


Thread a needle on the other end of the cord (remember we shove the first button up to about 40cm of that end). Now you string this big button again but in exactly the opposite direction; where the first cord end comes out of the button, you go in now with this second end, and you come out with this second end where the first cord end is going into the button.


Now you knot each end, so that they cannot slide out of the button. By pulling both ends you can make the necklace as long as you want (both ends of the cord slide through that one button in opposite directions).


And the necklace is ready!

 


As I said before, you can do this with all the buttons you can find and all possible cords (you can even use elastic cord to make a bracelet); so, at the end of this tutorial some more examples with different buttons and cord.

Comments: 20

this is great! i'm going to try it out. how about the bags? when are the deadlines for that?
July 13, 2010.Arlene
Thanks! 5th theme (for June, July and august 2010) is "Playing on the green grass" / AQUA" NB! As it is time for summer vacation, deadline for this theme is 10th of September.
July 14, 2010.Leina
it is verey nice and i liket
August 29, 2010.noura alrasy
Thank you for the lovely comment!
September 01, 2010.Leina
hey your blog design is very nice, clean and fresh and with updated content, make people feel peace and I always enjoy browsing your site. - Thomas
October 13, 2010.Casino Club
Interesante, yo cotizaciуn en mi sitio mбs tarde. Dolly
October 26, 2010.Dolly
Very inspiring! Thanks for sharing. I will link in a future blog post so others can come visit. Pearl http://www.beadinggem.com
December 14, 2010.beadinggem
Lovely....I have loads of mens shirt buttons and will try and do something similar with them
March 14, 2011.Divya N
I think this is so pretty and thank you so much for the ideal.Bless you
July 20, 2011.vicki
Beautiful, what a fantastic idea
October 01, 2011.MandaR
Thank you for your lovely comments!
October 13, 2011.Leina
The necklace looking great. I like your colour choice. Thanks for this lovely tutorial
August 28, 2012.Hemlata @ indiamarks.com
Superbe idée ! Merci de nous la faire partager. reneeletiers.com
March 12, 2013.Letiers
This is absolutely AWESOME! Found you on pinterest and fell in love!
May 13, 2013.Fran
Genial tendré nuevos accesorios y sin invertir...reciclando
June 02, 2013.Arelys Rangel
Button necklace
August 22, 2014.Linda Jaeger
Thank you for your most lovely comments :=)
June 09, 2016.Leina
I saved these a very long time ago. I looked at it again today and am very inspired by this necklace. I have oodles of old buttons that I was going to get rid of. Not any more. Thank you so much for this post. Your work is delightful!
December 02, 2016.Rebecca Wierzbicki
Rebecca, thanks you so much for this wonderful comment :=) I hope your necklace will look fabulous!
January 16, 2017.Leina
Do you have a tutorial on how you make your Zip pendants online? l saw your button post and was inquiring about the lovely pins you created out of fabric zippers a. Care to share; please.
October 03, 2023.Sophie Renieris

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