Welcome back to another installment of Button University Lessons! In Lesson 8, we showed you some quick videos and outlined step-by-step button making guidelines, reconfirming the simplicity and speed of our machines. Today, we are going to talk a little bit about fabric covered buttons.

Our Fabric Button Machine allows you to make your own fabric buttons or ponytail holders! In fact, Using our large eyelet two-piece button sets, fabric covered buttons can be attached to shoe laces, flip flops, shoe charms, hair ties & more!

There are a couple of machines that we have that will cater to whatever needs you have. Here are the details on those machines.

The Workhorse Series: Our Black-n-Red Z-Series Machines can make 1 1/2″, 2 1/4″, 3″, or 3 1/2″ fabric covered buttons. The dies are not interchangeable, each Black-n-Red fabric covered button machine makes a specific button size. One major benefit to the Z-Series is that you can make classic button options. The Black-n-Red Z Series machines allow you to make monogrammed buttons, fabric covered buttons, pin back buttons, ponytail holders, pocket mirrors, refrigerator magnets, key chains, necklaces, shoe charms, tie tacs, earrings, rosettes, drink coasters, bulldog clips and flip flop accessories.

Specialty Series: The Green Machine can make 3/4″, 1″ and 1 1/2″ fabric covered buttons. Simply swap out the dies and you are making a different button size in seconds. The PT-150 Green Machine uses our exclusive large “wire eyelet” button back. This strong eyelet can be used to make great ponytail holders. We offer several accessories made specifically for fabric buttons. Simply snip off the eyelet back and glue your favorite option to the back of the button. Accessories include badge reels, button bracelets, button rings, shoe charms, bobby pins and cell phone charms.

For more informaiton on how to make a fabric button, check out the Fabric Button Series here at The Button Blog. And join us tomorrow for Lesson 10 of Button University where we talk about working with Badge-a-Minit machines and parts.

Custom monogrammed buttons are growing in popularity and it’s easier than ever for embroidery shops and monogrammed gift businesses to get in on the action.

Fabric buttons are extremely versatile, but most manufacturers do not offer any options for their customers. Thus, your embroidery business or monogrammed gift shop has a solid chance to capitalize on the opportunity. With inexpensive supplies and a quick, easy process, the high profit margins custom monogrammed buttons offer is an excellent way for a business to expand.

With the variety of optional backings that can be used on the buttons, monograms could be displayed as ponytail holders, necklaces, pocket mirrors, shoe charms, cell phone charms, key chains, refrigerator magnets, flip-flop accessories and more.

For fear of facing a complicated button making process, many embroiderers have avoided moving into the button phase of their business. However, in all actuality, the monogramming is actually the most challenging part. In fact, the entire process wraps up in three simple steps, and embroidery and monogramming businesses are already masters of the first step.

Step 1: Embroider the monogram on fabric.
Step 2: Cut it out using a circle cutter or fabric circle cutting press.
Step 3: Press all the components together using the Fabric Button Machine.

The circle cutter and the fabric circle cutting press can be found at the American Button Machines website, where you can find all of your button-making solutions.

The adjustable rotary circle cutter offers additional functionality as well. It was originally designed for cutting circular graphics and photos for pin-back buttons. However, the product’s innate durability allows for a variety of uses. For instance, schools, arts and crafts designers, companies, and many others use the versatile cutter to cut circles out of paper, thin plastic, construction paper and poster board.

It’s pretty safe to say that with the incorporation of both monogramming and buttons, you’re well on your way to something new, definitely fun, and with the potential to be very profitable.

For more information on the button making process, check out our how-to button making videos at AmericanButtonMachines.com.

Magnets are great, and they are great for a variety of reasons:

1. They are fun and functional.
2. They can be great memory keepsakes.
3. They are easy to make.
4. They are inexpensive mementos.
5. They are typically rich with extraordinarily large net worths.

Oops…I seem to have mixed up magnet with magnate.

But those two words are not as unrelated as you might think. Check out the Wikipedia definition of a magnate:

Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus ‘great’, designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities.

Hmm, so a magnate is somebody great. Then that must mean that a magnet is something great! Do you follow my etymylogical reasoning here? No? Okay, good…because there is no etymylogical reasoning going on. This is just my long and drawn out way of saying what I already said in the first line of this post: magnets are great!

So, with that being said, the next question you must ask yourself is which type of magnet is greater for the purposes of whatever project you are working on. And that is why today we are going to break down the differences between two very distinct types of magnets:

1. Peel and stick magnets
2. Ceramic magnets

Peel and stick magnet sets offer a better finished product as they are made from flexible magnet material, while ceramic magnets are much stronger and versatile. Because of the flexible material they are made out of, peel and stick magnets are not nearly as strong when it comes to, for instance, holding papers on a refrigerator; but, they can still hold up a couple pieces of paper and give a better finished look on the back. The results when you make peel and stick magnets are professional looking refrigerator magnets.

What is nice about a ceramic magnet is you can put it on the back of a button (see applicable sizes below) while the pin is still on. Sound tricky? It’s not. In fact, it’s quite easy, and it allows someone to wear the button all day and then come home, put a ceramic magnet on the back, and display it on the refrigerator until they want to wear the button again.

Let’s see your peel and stick magnets do that!

[Editor's Note: Ladies and gentleman, you have just witnessed the first recorded magnet trash talking in the history of magnets...or trashtalking.]

The versatility possessed by ceramic magnets works great for photographers making photo buttons as they can sell a sports button and then add a ceramic magnet so that parents can display the button on the fridge. Wear the button during the games, then come back home and put it on the fridge again. (Quick aside: photographers also like to use button easels to display buttons on a desk or bookshelf.)

And there is more, in regards to ceramic magnets. Need to wear a button but you are wearing your favorite shirt and you do not want to put a pin through it? You can put a ceramic magnet behind your shirt and the button will stay there all day long. Although we recommend a MagTag for this purpose, ceramic magnets are much more economical.

Super strong ceramic magnets work with 1.75″, 2.25″, 3″ and 3.5″ pinned back buttons. They can also be used with 1″, 1.25″ and 1.5″ buttons if the pins are removed. No glue or adhesive is needed, but it can be used to permanently attach magnets to buttons.

So the question is, which one is right for you: peel and stick magnets or ceramic magnets? Only you can answer the question, but the best part is that no matter which one you choose, you will be getting something…great!