Taunton's Threads - For people who love to sew
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From the pages of Threads magazine Knotted Fabric Buttons and Beads Twists, turns, and glue transform leftover fabrics into unique, durable embellishments and closures
Making little fabric gems is quick and easy, and you'll find everything you need around your home: a sturdy needle, scissors, knitting needles or nails, and some white glue. As you can see from the photo, fabric beads and buttons tend to be oversized, but depending on how you choose to pair them with other elements in your wardrobe, they can be inconspicuous or outrageous or anything in between. The only thing they won't be is ordinary. Fabrics Different fabrics will work with varying results, so the main thing you need to know about your fabric is whether you like the way it looks when it's knotted. To see how your fabric will knot, twist a length of it and tie it in an overhand knot. If you're using a thin piece of fabric and want a larger knot, you'll need to fold a wider piece or wrap it around some other scrap fabric to add bulk. You don't have to use a bias strip, but some fabric prints will look more interesting on the bias, and bias strips roll nicely into tubes. Knit fabrics work fine. You can choose to leave raw edges exposed or fold them completely out of sight as shown at right before making your knot. To make beads in graduating sizes, the strip you make your knot from and/or the filling material you use to pad it with has to increase or decrease in thickness to step the beads up or down. Assemble small stacks of filler scraps to be included in each bead, and use them to make two or more beads in a row of the same size, then change the amount of fabric you use for the next two, and continue making varying sizes until you have the range you want. Folding, knotting, and finishing If you follow the links below, you'll find directions for a variety of basic knots, folds, and rolls that you can apply to your fabrics.
There's nothing fancy about the knots. Typically you form them with the same kind of attention to their appearance you'd apply to a decorative bow, tightening and adjusting them until you like the way they look. After knotting, trim the ends and tuck them out of sight using a sturdy needle or a nail. If you've added filling, remove it entirely so the end is as thin as possible. You can stitch the ends in place or hold them with a spot of glue hidden inside the knot. Put the glue in, then tack the tail in between the strands.
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