DIY Project – Make your own buttons using Polymer Clay

Making your own buttons is a lot easier than you think!

This free tutorial will show you how to make your own buttons from polymer clay or Fimo. They are so cute (as a button in fact!) and colourful and are fun for children to make too, with a little help.

You can use the buttons for just about anything really. I used mine to embellish my jewellery work.

Only a small amount of clay is needed, so this is a great way to use up any scrap pieces you have too.

Supplies

2 colours of polymer clay, Fimo or Sculpey
A needle for piercing
Oven for baking the polymer clay.

Note – When working with clay you may like to wear latex gloves, to avoid getting your fingerprints on the beads. It is also a good idea to use a separate pair of gloves for each colour so you don’t get any other colours bleeding into each other.

DIY Polymer Clay Buttons

Step 1
Condition your clay by rolling and squashing it between your hands. When your clay feels nice and soft and it’s not cracking, make two little balls out of each colour. Make one slightly bigger than the other. The base will be the later of the two.

Step 2
Press down each ball firmly with your thumb. Make the larger ball about 3mm thick and the smaller one about 1mm thick.

Step 3
Place the smaller piece on top of the larger one and push down firmly but not too hard as to lose the shape of the button.

Step 4 
Pierce two holes with a needle, ensuring your needle goes all the way through to the other side.

Step 5
Bake your button/s for approximately 15 minutes (130 degrees celcius). Check your packet directions for the exact time and temperature requirements. This website offers helpful baking instructions for several different polymer clay brands. Remember to have good ventilation when baking polymer clay.

That’s it. So all you have to do now is find a way to use your buttons.
Have fun – your options are endless!