Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Lil Project: New Coat Buttons

Back in the day, I worked in a clothing store that sold coats. I would often mention that changing the buttons on a coat was a good way to make it look better.  The store where I worked would sell every coat with cheap tortoiseshell plastic buttons, and that made me barf. Nice coats ruined by ugly-ass buttons.

When I suggested that sewing on new buttons would transforma a coat, the customers would looked at me like changing the buttons on a coat was the most work any human had ever had to do. Its not a big deal! Sewing a button is something every man,woman and child should at least know how to do.

Lets do this.
Buy an "affordable coat"...Ok, boring/cheap/whatever coat. This one is a very normal one from H&M which I bought because I needed a "lady coat."
Boring buttons
See, cheap buttons. Horror.

Figure out how many buttons you need, buy 'em. I bought mine off of Etsy, by searching in the supplies category. They were extremely affordable. 
New Buttons
I had a hard time finding buttons I liked that were also the same size as the old crappy plastic buttons, so I gambled a bit and bought slightly smaller buttons. I knew I may have to sew up the button holes a tiny bit if they ended up too small.
New Buttons
See, tiny! Oh well.
Sewing them on is easy but boring. Only 5 of them actually keep the coat closed, so I focused on sewing those on really well and kind of phoned in the other five. haha. No one will ever know.
tara cold
In the end I only ended up replacing the double row of buttons on the jacket, not all the pocket, collar and shoulder ones, it was just too many white buttons. I think it was a success! I didn't even have to sew up the button holes more because of the smaller buttons.

I had TONS of people compliment me on my coat, and its is all really the buttons. FOOLED YOU.

Ever since working at that clothing store, I feel its my mission to rid the world of hideous plastic cheap-o buttons. I banish you.

Do it!

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:02 PM

    Fierce! I love those buttons and you look so darn pretty m'dear!

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  2. :-) Thanks! I was SO windy and so cold all of my photos were of me hunching and gritting my teeth. haha

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  3. Yep, I have to agree with you. Your new buttons really make the jacket pop. Nice work!
    I may look into this with the next jacket I buy (as the one I have right now has cheap buttons, but it's in pretty rough shape itself, so it doesn't matter).
    Side note, I also like the scarf on your purse. I have a similar one in tan.

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  4. Great post!! An easy change to make things better. I love those kinds of insights. Also, I love the Journey to Casimir banner! :D

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  5. your newly sown on buttons and gorgeous firery hair sets your coat off a treat :-)

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  6. you rock, your hair rocks and your buttons rock

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