Button Clusters

If you look closely at this block before I started stitching on it, there were some very sharp corners on it:



I find harsh corners like this to be distracting and quite less than attractive. Button clusters are an excellent way to soften those areas:



I used a mixture of new plastic buttons and a few antique glass buttons. I kept it simple. I didn't want the buttons to compete with the umbrella pin so I used white and cream colored buttons. They show up, but blend into the block.

Groups of 3 or 5 buttons work well together for small blocks like this. Choose buttons similiar in size, color and shape. Pick one to sew down first and then sew the remaining buttons down close to the first one. Overlapping them gives the impression of flowers in a garden. You can add a few tiny leaf beads or some crystals to give them the flower effect.

My next project will be this little cat doll. A gift for my mom for Valentine's Day:



Stay tuned to see more seam treatments from my upcoming book.