Author Archives: Brighid Brown

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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5 Reasons Why Button Making Makes a Great Home-Based Business Solution

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Have you ever thought about starting your own home-based business? You may be surprised to learn that a nice chunk of our customer base uses our button machines and button making supplies as the means of production for their own home-based button businesses.

The purpose of this post is run down a few of the reasons why so many of many of our customers have gotten into the button making business part-time — or even full-time — from the comfort and convenience of their own home.

We know that a home-based business is not for everyone, and that making buttons isn’t the right choice for everyone considering a home-based business, but you should at least know the benefits of being your own button making boss.

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Buttons For Bands: How to Promote Your Band with Pinback Buttons

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[Note: If you’re thinking to yourself, “Hey! I’ve seen this post before!” you might be right. This post was originally published on December 24th, 2008. We are cycling it back to the front of the blog so our new readers are made aware of it, as the content is no less relevant today. And besides, it’s always good to review…]

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When thinking about how to promote your band, it is often imperative to think in terms of what kind of promotional strategy can give me a big bang for a little buck. Buttons for bands have proven to to be an excellent way to achieve this goal.

Pinback buttons have been in use for a number of years and some are quite popular as collector’s items, especially for independent bands. A number of rock bands in the 70’s sold 1-inch pinback buttons with the band’s logo or name. The tradition of buttons for bands has increased as more and more bands search for cheap ways to promote and advertise themselves, an album, a show, or even a particular song. Additionally, many bands have evolved to use more than just 1-inch buttons for promotional purposes. Refrigerator magnets, medallions, and earrings have also become popular because of how easy they are to produce.

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Recommendations for Mobile Button Making and Button Machine & Supplies Carrying Case

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You’ve got your button machine. You’ve got your button parts and supplies. You’ve got your paper cutter. You’ve even got your graphics printed and ready to go.

But you’ve got a problem: you’re going to a friend’s house, or a school, or a craft fair to make your buttons, and you have no idea how to conveniently and efficiently transport your button machine and supplies.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, we have a recommendation for how you can best solve this problem!

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Using a 1” Button Making Machine to Make Keychains

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[Note: If you’re thinking to yourself, “Hey! I’ve seen this post before!” you might be right. This post was originally published on December 15th, 2008. We are cycling it back to the front of the blog so our new readers are made aware of it, as the content is no less relevant today. And besides, it’s always good to review…]

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A button making machine has a number of uses not limited to only producing pinback buttons. There are a number of other novelty items that can be quickly and easily produced with a 1” button maker machine. The front part of the button (clear mylar, graphic and front shell) always stays the same. Basically you just change the components on the back of the button to make a wide variety of novelty items such as keychains, refrigerator magnets, zipper pulls, earrings, tie tacks and more.

The process for making a novelty button with a 1” button making machine is extremely quick and easy. After you have designed your button graphic on a computer and printed it, you will need to cut the graphic out. To accomplish this, you can use our Circle Cutter, Punch Cutter or High Volume Die Cutting Press to cut your graphic to the perfect size for the front of your button. Gather the remaining button making supplies including the mylar laminate, front shell and the collet for the back. Continue reading →

ABM on Twitter and Facebook!

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While we always want you to come visit us here at the friendly confines of The Button Blog, make sure that you also check us out on Twitter and Facebook as well. We want to be sure that you can access our content and us (should you ever have questions or need us!) in the most convenient way possible.

So, to follow us on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/abmachines.

To become our fan on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Button-Machines/303574310110.

And, of course, don’t forget about our discussions forum, which is still the easiest and quickest way to get feedback from us.

We look forward to connecting with you wherever you like to connect. As always, happy button making!

Brighid Brown – Director of Blogging and All Things Cool at ABM