Monthly Archives: April 2010

A Brief History of Political Campaign Buttons

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One of the most prevalent items in every campaign manager’s toolbox is the campaign button.

For building awareness, establishing brand, staying top of mind, and encouraging word-of-mouth promotion, among many other uses, the campaign button is a widely used tool by anyone running for any office.

Campaign buttons are inexpensive to make, as all you need is a circle cutter plus a button machine and some button making supplies. They are also easy to distribute and require very little effort from supporters to use. It is no wonder then that since Abe Lincoln first used them in 1860, the stature and ubiquity of campaign buttons has only grown.

In this post, we provide a brief history of political campaign buttons, along with some examples.

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Event Fundraising Ideas for Non-Profits: Use Buttons to Promote, Enhance Event

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Custom buttons can be a great way to help market and advertise events hosted by your non-profit organization, and enhance your fundraising initiatives. Buttons can be used as gifts, advertisements, and status symbols, as well as many other uses. Non-profits that utilize buttons for promoting events employ a cost-effective way to get their message out to a large audience.

Using buttons to advertise for your non-profit organization is a low-cost way to boost fundraising efforts in several ways. Here a few proven event fundraising ideas for non-profits that can help your non-profit fundraising efforts:

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Fabric Button How-To Series: Using Your Button Machine Properly to Make Fabric-Covered Buttons

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One of the growing trends in monogramming and embroidery is the use of fabric-covered buttons as an accessory for a number of items, from clothing to purses to shoes. Many small embroidery shops have begun to offer a selection of fabric buttons, including custom monogrammed buttons. With a professional grade button machine, a small embroidery shop can quickly expand its product offering with a fun and versatile fabric button that has a number of uses. This post is the third in our week-long series on fabric buttons.Fabric Covered Button Necklace

Tuesday, we discussed important pointers for choosing the right fabric when you begin your fabric button making project. Wednesday, we told you about the myriad uses for fabric-covered buttons. Then yesterday, we discussed why many embroidery shops are investing in their own professional button machine to create custom fabric buttons. Today, we give you a brief overview of the proper way to use a button machine to make fabric-covered buttons.

In a rotating die button maker, the materials are placed into two separate dies. The button’s front shell and fabric are positioned in the first die, which is rotated into the machine, and the lever is pulled once. The button back is then placed in the second die, which is rotated into the press, and the lever is pulled a second time completing the button press operation.

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Fabric Button How-To Series: Making Fabric-Covered Buttons With Your Own Professional Button Machine

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One of the growing trends in monogramming and embroidery is the use of fabric-covered buttons as an accessory for a number of items, from clothing to purses to shoes. Many small embroidery shops have begun to offer a selection of fabric buttons, including custom monogrammed buttons. With a professional grade button machine, a small embroidery shop can quickly expand its product offering with a fun and versatile fabric button that has a number of uses. This post is the third in our week-long series on fabric buttons.

Tuesday, we discussed important pointers for choosing the right fabric when you begin your fabric button making project. Then yesterday, we told you about the myriad uses for fabric-covered buttons. Today, we will provide an overview of why many embroidery shops are investing in their own professional button machine to produce custom fabric buttons.

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Fabric Button How-To Series: The Many Varied Uses of Fabric-Covered Buttons

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One of the growing trends in monogramming and embroidery is the use of fabric-covered buttons as an accessory for a number of items, from clothing to purses to shoes. Many small embroidery shops have begun to offer a selection of fabric buttons, including custom monogrammed buttons. With a professional grade button machine, a small embroidery shop can quickly expand its product offering with a fun and versatile fabric button that has a number of uses. This post is the second in our week-long series on fabric buttons.

Yesterday, we gave you a brief introduction to fabric buttons and discussed a few pointers for choosing the right fabric. In today’s post, we will discuss the wide variety of uses for fabric-covered buttons that can easily be made with the right equipment, like your own professional button machine.

The Many Varied Uses of Fabric-Covered Buttons

Most button making machines are manufactured to produce pinback buttons using regular printer paper. Fabric is a completely different type of material than paper. It is important to have a button maker calibrated properly to accommodate for the challenges in making a button out of fabric material. Proper calibration ensures the fabric button machine will produce consistent quality buttons throughout its life.

With a little creativity and the right equipment, an embroidery business can expand their offering of fabric-covered buttons and sell a large variety of novelty buttons with a number of different applications. After cutting the fabric to a specific size with our Circle Cutter or Fabric Cutting Press,  a number of different options such as the type we offer on our website www.AmericanButtonMachines.com, can be pressed onto the back of the button to make several different products.

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Fabric Buttons How-To Series: Getting Started by Choosing Your Fabric

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One of the growing trends in monogramming and embroidery is the use of fabric-covered buttons as an accessory for a number of items, from clothing to purses to shoes. Many small embroidery shops have begun to offer a selection of fabric buttons, including custom monogrammed buttons. With a professional grade button machine, a small embroidery shop can quickly expand its product offering with a fun and versatile fabric button that has a number of uses. This post is the first in our week-long series on fabric buttons.

Getting Started by Choosing Your Fabric

One of the most exciting aspects of fabric buttons is choosing the right fabric with which to decorate the button. A trip to the local arts and crafts store is sure to provide a wide array of patterns and designs that can give any fabric button a certain amount of flair.

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How to Make a Campaign Button

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It is still just April, some 6+ months away from Election Day, but do not be lulled into a false sense of security.

If you are a candidate running for office, you do not have “plenty of time” to sit idly by without getting your name out there. Similarly, if you are planning to promote the cause of a candidate, the right time to start is now…not later.

That’s why we are here posting this in April. While all candidates and campaigns are different and unique in their own way, there is one constant throughout every campaign: the need for campaign buttons!

As you might have guessed, we know a little something about this topic. So let’s discuss how to make a campaign button.

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