One of the simplest ways to give a cardigan a new lease on life is to just change the buttons! In the case of this cardigan, I’ve worn it quite a lot and the buttons have faded differently to the cardigan. While the cardigan is a lovely inky blue, the buttons have faded to purple. I’m not a huge fan of this look, but I love the cardigan, so I simply bought some new buttons! If you want to change the buttons on your cardigan there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Make sure you use buttons that fit through the existing button holes. Try to find buttons close to the same size as the old buttons.
- Don’t forget to consider the width of the button. For example, my new buttons have a slightly smaller diameter than the old ones, but they are a little bit thicker so they fit through the button holes perfectly.
- If you can’t find buttons that are exactly the right size, choose ones that are a bit smaller, rather than bigger. You can always hand stitch one end of the button holes closed to make them a little bit smaller.
- Don’t feel that you need to get matching buttons (like I have). You could use bold, contrasting or highly detailed buttons. You could even use a collection of mismatched vintage buttons for a completely different look!
- If you’re not sure how to sew on buttons, check out my tutorial here.
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You make me think that I have a carding with many missing buttons. I am carrying this cardigan everytime I move, must be (to my shame) 20 years at least! How difficult is it to put new buttons?!? I will try mismatched, maybe today…