Craft Fair Success

The Indie Knit and Spin craft fair was a successful first time event.  There were steady crowds and sales were surprisingly good.  I sold more buttons than I expected.  Joyce Compton also had good sales of her felting kits.  Things went well enough that I will consider doing other craft fairs. 

Knitters and spinners tend to be passionate about their craft.

The displays I built worked well.  I was particularly happy with the spinner display racks that are made from old floor lamps, scrap lumber and PVC pipe.

Small children were attracted to the buttons on the table cloth.  This photo was taken just before the doors opened.

All of the displays were made from recycled materials.

Branding and Packaging my Buttons

My current task is to work on how I package my buttons.
The theme that runs through my Etsy button shop is that I take old things and make them new.  I'm using old button making techniques in new ways.  I recycle old buttons by dying them. Etc.  I want to design some packaging for my buttons that reflects that theme.

Historically buttons have been sold on cards.  This is a card from the 1920s.  It looks to me like the card designer did the 1920s version of cut and paste.  I think the message is that these buttons are well made and fancy.

I'm not sure when the two cards below were produced.  Perhaps in the fifties?  The message conveyed is that using these buttons will enhance the user's gender role.  The roles portrayed are so extreme that they seem like caricatures to me.  It amuses me that on the man's card the designer has thoughtfully given us specific instructions on where to sew the buttons.     

Contemporary button card designs tend to be simple.  Often they just have the manufacturers logo.  I want to do more than that.  I want my cards to have a lot of personality.  Here is the current version of a card for my buttons.  I like the retro feel of the design and the pattern of how the buttons are arranged on the card.  Its an affordable to make button card.  The design is going to evolve.  I'm thinking of adding historical information about button making on the back and maybe some imagery.  I am also looking for a reasonably priced source of recycled card stock. 

How to Dye Buttons

All of these buttons were white before dyeing. 

I'm expanding my line of dyed, recycled buttons in my Etsy button shop.  I'm working primarily with white buttons from my mother's and sister's button boxes.  They are typical old buttons saved from clothes and there are a lot of them.  

Marbled buttons dye well also.

It's not hard to dye buttons.  I use Rit liquid dye because it's readily available.  Here's the process that is working for me. 

1.    Wash the buttons and a small plastic container.  A 12 oz container works well.

2.    Put about an inch of water in the container.

3.    Heat water in a microwave until it boils.  Don't skip this step.  Dyeing doesn't work well without heat.

4.    Add liquid dye to the container.  Start by adding about 4 tablespoons.  You can always add more if the colors aren’t bright enough.

5.    Add 20-40 buttons.  The number will depend on the size of the buttons.  You want all of them to be submerged in the dye. 

6.    Let everything sit for 15 to 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally with an old chopstick or plastic spoon.

7.    Check the color of the buttons.  If you want the color to be darker let the buttons stay in the dye for a while longer.  Or add a bit more dye. 

8.    Remove the buttons from the dye with a plastic spoon.

9.    Pour what's left of the used dye & water mixture back into the bottle to reuse.  The contents of the bottle will be a bit diluted but it seems to work just as well. 

10.    The buttons must be well rinsed or they will stain fabric when wet.  I soak mine in a bucket of water overnight. 

11. Rinse till the water runs clear.

12. Let them dry.
13. Looking at your transformed buttons is the best part.

Fortunately there are lots of large buttons to dye.

And plenty of shank buttons.

 These buttons will be added to my shop stock over the next few days. 

A Day at Lillian St. Studio

The studio is almost ready for the machinery to be moved in.  While Elaine Fuller and I were off having fun at summer camp Beth Rogers was pushing progress at the studio.  She built a vertical lumber rack that immediately got filled in a with lumber to recycle into shop improvements and projects.  It won't take much to get it sorted out so that fresh lumber can be stored there also.

She built a wheeled cart for the chop saw.  A nice feature of this cart is the lumber supports on either side of the saw.  This makes it easier for one person to cut long pieces of wood.

One of the things I did today was start a couple foot stools made of recycled lumber.  I took them home to make some patchwork upholstery tops.  One will end up in my home and the other will be in the upstairs lounge at the studio. 

Beth realized that we needed a mirror the other day when she got some saw dust in her eye.  She hung a beveled mirror in the lounge.

Beth Rogers lounging in the lounge.

We installed an air conditioner and it made an enormous difference in the temperature.  It doesn't look like much but it's got it where it counts.

Meanwhile, down in the kitchen area Elaine Fuller was painting.  The bench and table are almost ready for use.  I will celebrate the first time we eat on the table.  We couldn't today because the paint on the bench was still wet. 

The cabinet that was hidden behind a wall has been repaired and painted.  It looks fabulous!  The microwave is in place.  Soon we will set up a mini fridge in the lower left.

The wall to the left has turned into Elaine's patchwork quilt in drywall scraps and paint.  I'm curious to see how she will detail it.

I am so happy to have this studio!  I want to spend a lot of time working in it.  The couch will be my first serious project.

Nek Chand

Nek Chand is an Indian artist who is building a sculpture park from recycled materials.  It is an intriguing story.  Nek Chand worked as a road inspector during the construction of the designed city of Chandigarh.  During the time when he wasn't working he collected materials to recycle into his park.  He built it on 12 acres of public land and he hid it from authorities for 18 years!  When discovered, the park was saved from destruction by the strength of public opinion.   Then the government gave him a salary to keep building the park.  Today it is a major tourist attraction.  

I particularly love his figurative sculptures.  I find this man and his work inspiring.