Kathy's button swop project

I had such a variety of ideas when we began this project, but couldn't seem to settle on one. When Julie's lovely fabric arrived in my mailbox, I suddenly knew what I wanted to make. It was the piece that seemed to tie all the other quieter pieces together so well.

The dangling beads on this necklace are all self-cover buttons, with Julie's tunic fabric. I love the colours, and they will go with a number of my plain tops. Louisa's elephant was glued onto the middle button (after first removing the metal button loop from the back so it would be flat enough to adhere to the surface of the big round button). This was the single largest self-cover button in my collection, and I was dying to try it. Much easier to cover than the tiny ones!

I used craft pliers to remove the metal loop from the back of all five covered buttons, and glued a small circle of turquoise felt on the back for a smoother finish. Miriam's blue beads plus a few of the smallest round shell buttons from the turquoise blouse made up the rest of the necklace. The string was made by sewing two long narrow strips (from the turquoise chiffon and Lesley's leaf fabric) and twisting the two together to make a dainty rope. This idea was borrowed from a necklace someone gave me from Indonesia.

The blue pocket from Ruth's trousers contribution was just the right size for a storage pouch. The belt loop was repositioned for the button closure. Julie's fabric made a decorative corner on the front, with her turquoise-covered button (from our swop at Lesley's) in the centre of the design.

The back of the storage pouch is Lesley's fabric. I labelled the swop, including all our names, just for fun. The necklace fits nicely. I don't wear many necklaces, but this one will be an interesting conversation piece!