Covered Buttons: A Tutorial and Giveaway!

Thank you to our friends at  I Like Big Buttons  and Amelie and Henri for Sponsoring this post!

Today we are going to talk about something that can change the way you add buttons to a garment FOREVER!  Two words: Covered Buttons.  Do they sound daunting?... they aren't, sound expensive?... not at all, sound time consuming?... first; they are quick to make, but second think of the time you waste driving to the store, searching for the 'perfect button' when nothing is quite right, standing in line to buy the buttons, and then driving back home again - yeah, you could have made a second garment complete with covered buttons in that amount of time!
I found myself desperate for covered buttons recently when I tested the Elenora Ruffle Coat by Amelie &Henri - the pattern has 6 buttons (two on each sleeve and two on the front) and I KNEW I wanted them to match the sash & lining to pull the whole garment together.  I love the way it turned out!

Here is a collection of the great things I have been able to make with the covered button kit from I Like Big Buttons in the past few weeks.  These are the 5/8 size wire back buttons.

Ok... the Anatomy of a covered button:
You have a 'Male' part and a 'Female' part. - these are shank buttons so it isn't that hard to figure out which is which.  Got it?  Good!  Now you also have two parts of the button press (these are also male and female) - the clear part - Female, and the pink part- Male, (do you like my uber technical names here?!!?)

Most button kits then come with a round donut circle - this is your tracing template.  Use a fabric marking tool and trace as many circles onto your fabric as you need for your buttons, and cut them out. *when you are cutting your fabric circle, make sure you plan the part of any patterned prints that will be at the center of the circle.*

Now you are going to take one of your fabric circles and place a female button piece in the center (convex side down).  Place it over your clear section of the button press, and push down.

Once your fabric and button are inside, you are going to press the extra fabric in towrds the center

Place the Male side on top (shank facing up).

Use the pink part of your press, and press the male side firmly into the female side - you need to press pretty hard, and you will feel the male side 'pop' into place.

Pop out your button and VOILA!!!!  Gorgeous Buttons to match any garment.

So what do you want to button up???

Our great friends over at ILikeButtons are providing you with the opportunity to win all the supplies you need to start making awesome covered buttons.  And we're pairing it with the adorable Elenora Ruffle Coat by Amelie and Henri to give you the perfect pattern to try out your new button making skills.

For this Prize Pack you will win:

Button and Findings Starter Kit: 15x Size 24 Cover Buttons Wire Back (for use with coat) 1x Size 24 Tool and Size 36 Tool 1x Size 24 Plastic Template and Size 36 Plastic Template 15x Size 24 Cover Buttons Flat Back (for use with bobby pins) 15x Size 36 Cover Buttons Flat Back (for use with Snap Barrettes) 12x Snap Barrettes in Vibrant Girl Colors 12x Bobby Pins in Vibrant Girl Colors AND The Elenora Ruffle Coat PDF Pattern By Amelie &Henri

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The perfect Minnie Mouse Dress Sewing Tutorial

Hey, everybody!  I’m Kari, from That’s-Sew-Kari.  I have 2 little girls for whom I love to sew and create!  I am lucky to stay home with them and sew in my spare time (after bedtime…LOL).  I can’t believe it, but it’s been a whole year since I've gotten into sewing!

When I first saw this series idea posted for Pattern Revolution, I knew I needed to sign up.  I knew I'd be using the Candy Castle Princess Dress to create one-of-a-kind Halloween costumes for my girls.  I discovered Candy Castle Patterns at the beginning of the summer with my Bubblegum Dress review.  I was lucky enough to test the Candy Castle Princess Dress pattern and made Sofia the First during testing.  For Minnie Mouse, however, I wanted to deviate from the pattern a little bit so I could share it with all of you!

First of all, this pattern has lots of options so chances are that the pattern contains what you need!  There are 4 sleeve options, a slim or regular fit bodice, hemmed or ruffled underskirt and a paneled or non-paneled skirt.  I've made 3 dresses so far!

Minnie Mouse likes to wear a sweet peter pan collar on her dresses and it wasn't an option in the pattern so I set out to draft my own!  I wanted it to end at the shoulder seam so I would not have to alter the back.

After I rounded my neckline, I drew the collar along the neckline and failed to take a picture... whoops!  Below, is my retraced collar piece.

When you cut out your pieces, cut the interfacing without the added seam allowance to reduce bulk in the seams.

Now, sew according to pattern.

Other than the peter pan collar, Minnie Mouse dresses are easily recognizable simply by choosing the right fabric.  Minnie likes either red or pink, but white polka dots are a must.  My 2 year old was very adamant that she wear the "Pink" Minnie Mouse so I used a combination of pink/large white polka, black/small white polka, and white. (The red combination would be the same combo, but substitute the pink with red and add in some bright yellow!  It really pops!)   All of my fabrics and trim came from Hobby Lobby.

Fortunately for all of you, I couldn't just stop at a simple peter pan collar addition :)  I thought and thought and thought.... and then the light bulb went on!  I decided I wanted a Minnie Mouse head cutout in the back of my daughter's dress for a bit of unexpected awesomeness on the back of her dress.  So, I set out to make this crazy idea happen (because I don't give up easily!).  I practiced on a few muslin bodices first until I got it right.  Here's how I did it (and FREE template HERE!).  In order to fit the template along with the amount of snaps needed, I lengthened the bodice 1 inch from the original pattern.  The space between her ears is the overlap of the back bodice in the original pattern - fate, I tell you!!

You will want to make sure to put 2 snaps both above the cutout and below so that everything lays correctly.

I've made this dress 1 size larger so that I can ensure it fits when her birthday rolls around since it's highly likely she'll want a Minnie Mouse birthday again!  I'm ahead of the game!

To finish the Minnie's look, I chose an eyelet ruffle for my ruffled underskirt to mimic her eyelet-trimmed bloomers and carried the eyelet to the bottom of her sleeve cuffs. I used the large bow template in the pattern to create two bows to place on the front scallops.

My daughter is also wearing the Tulle Drop Waist Pettiskirt by Foo Foo Threads as well as a shorter 'no-sew' tutu from last year's Halloween costume for maximum poof! I made the Minnie Mouse ears and headband last year since my daughter was also Minnie Mouse then.  I used felt for the ears and stuffed them to make them stand up.  I also stuffed the bow and hot glued them all onto a black headband and then hand-stitched them onto the headband for extra stability.

My 2 year old has been asking for her Minnie Dress for WEEKS!!  Today, she got to go out for a photo shoot and she was in Minnie Mouse heaven.  This girl dreams of Minnie Mouse every night, or so she tells me.  I'm sure she would gladly wear this daily if I let her!

Oh, remember when I mentioned at the beginning how this was the third dress I've made using this pattern?  Here are Sofia the First and Cinderella!

Cinderella was created for a very special customer.  What a lucky little girl!!

Well, that wraps it up!!  Thanks  to Pattern Revolution for having me here today and also thanks to Candy Castle Patterns for a beautiful pattern!  Head over to her pattern shop and show her some love!

This dress was featured in The Collectionary. For more great Minnie Mouse inspired items visit them by clicking the image to the left..