Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Update: DIY Bobby Pins


My little Covered Button Bobby Pins have received a little bit of attention lately.
I've been getting lots of emails asking some of the same questions, so I'm going to answer those questions here for your reference.

1. What fabric did you use?
All the fabrics I used are from the Central Park by Kate Spain collection for Moda Fabrics. Here is a swatch sheet with all the item numbers for each fabric.

2. Where did I get the fabrics?
I got my fabric at a darling fabric shop in Livermore, CA, called In Between Stitches. They do offer some fabrics for sale on their website. Definitely stop by and check them out if you're ever in Livermore.

3. What size of buttons did you use?
They're size 30. The diameter is 3/4"; I find this size is perfect for the bobby pins. They fit the pad pretty well, with a little room to spare, and they look proportional to the size of the pin. I've also used these size 30 buttons to make push pins, simply by gluing thumbtacks into the back. Here's a link in case you want to buy some.


4.  Do you recommend any other types of glue for this project?
I've only had experience with gorilla glue. But any type of glue that will bond to metal should be just fine. You could probably use hot glue as well, but I have problems with hot glue peeling off of metal...so if you're looking for longevity, definitely look for a glue that is specifically for metal.

Let me know if I missed anything. I'd love to see pictures if you've tried this project!
Have a great day.
Photobucket

11 comments:

Cherry Blossoms said...

super cute. How much fabric do you need/use? I am finding all these cute project that I want to make but I am never sure of the amount of materials that are needed.
Thanks,
Heidi

Anonymous said...

What is the button kit you were talking about?

christina said...

Hi Anonymous, The button kit is a little silicone mold and a plastic piece that you use to push the buttons together. They're commonly sold at sewing and craft stores. Once you have the mold and pusher thing, you can just buy the refills, which are just the rounded button top and the back with the shank. Hope that helps!

ally_thomassian said...

Hi,

I'm wondering if you know how many buttons you can cover with the cover button kit. Like per kit how many can you make? Thank you.

ally_thomassian said...

Hi! I love this idea but I'm wondering how many you can make per cover button kit. Because I'm thinking about ordering 72 bobby pins (from the website you recommended) but I don't know if I want to buy that many if you can only get 6 or 7 from each cover button kit. Thank you!!

ally_thomassian said...

hi, i am wondering where you can buy the refills you were talking about.

ally_thomassian said...

Hi, I am wondering where you can buy the refills you were talking about.

christina said...

Hi Ally,
The refills are sold at most sewing stores, and you can find them pretty readily online as well. They're by Dritz. They're just a package of either five or six buttons without the button mold. I sure wish they sold larger packs! Let me know if you find anything else.

christina said...

Hey Ally,

One more thing. The only kits I've been able to purchase have 5-6 buttons in them, depending on size. So it's definitely not enough to cover ALL The bobby pins you get in a package.

But I've also glued vintage buttons and little bows to the bobby pins and they turned out really cute as well. Another idea is to gather a bunch of friends for a craft night and split the bobby pins among everyone. That way you're not stuck with a whole bunch of naked bobby pins. :)

christina said...

Hey Ally,

One more thing. The only kits I've been able to purchase have 5-6 buttons in them, depending on size. So it's definitely not enough to cover ALL The bobby pins you get in a package.

But I've also glued vintage buttons and little bows to the bobby pins and they turned out really cute as well. Another idea is to gather a bunch of friends for a craft night and split the bobby pins among everyone. That way you're not stuck with a whole bunch of naked bobby pins. :)

Unknown said...

Hey! This is a really cute project. Perhaps it is just me, but I am having a very difficult time pulling the shanks out... any tips?