Making buttons this morning

Handmade buttons by Jenny Stacy about to go into the oven

Apologies, first of all for the state of the baking tray. I only use it for Fimo and years of baked on paint and Fimo mean it is never camera ready! In fact if I'd known I was going to photograph buttons on it I would have given it a good scrub. The buttons will look a million times better in the shop against a clean white cloth! I'll just fetch them out of the oven now.

The worst thing about making buttons is softening the clay. That always takes longer than I think it's going to. So I softened clay last night ready to make buttons this morning. I have a dwindling number of buttons in the shop so I'm pleased to have made 44 more to boost supplies. They are all machine washable and cost £1 each. I have a request for brown ones and I'll do those next. I just feel in the mood for lots of colour right now.

I taught myself to make buttons about 20 years ago after seeing some beads made from Fimo in America. I wished later that I'd bought some but I still had the picture in my head and I was fascinated by them. Since then I've made and sold beads and buttons and given many workshops on how to make them. Buttons like those above are ideal for hand knitted jackets and cardigans, as decoration on cushions and quilts or to fasten bags of all sizes, make into jewellery or just to have as useful decoration in a glass jar.