Dyeing Buttons

Since I've had so many people ask about dyeing the buttons I'll tell y'all how I did it.

I use Rit Dye, one tablespoon of dye to 1/4 cup of boiling water for a small batch (20-30) of buttons, plastic and nylon buttons dye the best you can also dye beads this way.

Add the buttons to the dye vats and let sit from 5 to 30 minutes or until your satisfied with the color (Mine sat for 15 to 30 mins.) The dye needs to stay hot for the dyeing process as it cools down the the dye is less effective.

Strain the buttons and rinse well in cool running water then swish the strainer around in a bowl with water and a bit of dish soap to clean any lingering dye then rinse the soap off. I use an old metal mesh strainer. Lay out on some paper towels and blot to dry.

Now your buttons are ready to use on your cross stitch pieces, crafts or clothes. I'm using some of mine as flower centers for my fabric flowers and will be using them on some cross stitch pieces as well.

Things I Learned:

1. Use washed tuna cans, soup cans, jars even yogurt cups for the dye vats. Great Re-Use, Re-Purpose, Reduce idea.

2. To keep the dye hot longer use an electric hot plate or those candle/mug warmers. they work great for the cans and jars. You can put the yogurt cups in the micro for a few seconds to keep the dye hot, I did it with the Teal buttons and had no bad effects.

3. Always remember to put the strainer/plug in your sink drain, when your rinsing the buttons. Guess who forgot and lost a few to the septic tank god. ;}

4. Always cover your work area since the dye is fairly concentrated at the ratio I use and will stain in a heartbeat. Yeah, I've got a scarlet ring on my white counter section, fortunately that counter part is only temporary.

5. If you strain the dye into a jar you can re-heat it to use for another batch later. I keep mine in the refer until I need it again.

Well that's all there is to it, super easy and you can get just about any color you want.

Take Care & Happy Craftin'

Hugs, Sandy