Dare to Make It: Holiday

How to Make Bottle-Cap Buttons for Knit Slippers

Lee Meredith, contributor

12 users recommend

Choose bottle caps that coordinate with the slippers and/or that have special meaning to your recipient.

Lee Meredith

Newcastle booties for any British brown ale fan.

Lee Meredith

Six-holed buttons make stitched stars!

Lee Meredith

Choose bottle caps that coordinate with the slippers and/or that have special meaning to your recipient.

Photo: Lee Meredith

Add Comment
Print

This knit gift idea will be much loved by any recipient with cold winter feet, and is shockingly fast to knit up! I designed these slippers in my early knitting years, when I was still very inexperienced, so they are way simple, using only knit stitch, increases and decreases, and some knitting in the round with double-pointed needles. Unlike many slipper patterns that are knit large and then felted, these slippers are knit on size 11 needles with several strands of yarn, making a thick, dense fabric, so no felting is needed.

You can find my free "Mary Jane-Style Booties" pattern on my website and on ravelry, or you can click this link to download the pdf file directly. All slipper instructions are in the pattern.

This is what your finished slippers should look like before you add the buttons.

The slipper pattern calls for two decorative buttons at the ends of the straps, and since the buttons are not functional but only for looks, I love using bottle caps instead! I'm always one to use recycled materials in my crafts whenever possible, so putting a couple of fun bottle caps on a pair of slippers instead of buttons is my kind of modification!

Of course, you can use this bottle-cap button concept for items beside the slippers—how about adding a few embellishments to a beer-lover's hat gift? Or sewing a cluster of them onto a bag? Fun stuff!

You'll need:

• Two bottle caps
• A hammer
• A thin nail
• Sandpaper
• A sewing needle or tapestry needle
• Embroidery floss or yarn

I chose bottle caps from two of my favorite Oregon breweries—you could use Thomas Kemper or Henry Weinhards soda caps if you want to keep it nonalcoholic.

Add Comment Print

Amazing Ornament How-To Round-up at Threadbanger  

Back to List

How to Keep Your Guy Warm in His Baseball Cap at a Football Game

Comments (5)

Futchu writes: Can someone send me the instructions in microsoft document?
Send to raefutch@verizon.net
Posted: 7:00 pm on September 18th

P8 writes: great idea with the buttons; I am going to try it !

You have been blogged in P8 Buttons & Fabrics: http://kraplap.blogspot.com/
Posted: 12:27 pm on May 5th

rainbowridergrma writes: This is just totally ingenious. I can see lots of possibilities. Thanks!
Posted: 9:35 am on February 24th

samsstuff writes: Cute idea for buttons & simple to make!
Posted: 11:56 pm on February 14th

Toffy writes: Cute slippers and cute buttons. A great idea to use bottle caps and so cute....I do have a suggestion tho'. I would cut a piece of thin cardboard to fit inside the bottle cap, and use a tiny piece of fabric or batting next to the top of the inside of the cap, then push in the cardboard. I would bend over the edges using a pair of pliers. This would then be sanded or checked for rough edges, then poke the holes to sew it on. This way all rough edges from the holes would be taken care of to avoid cutting the threads from use. Slightly more work but could be worth it in the long run.
Posted: 9:44 am on January 28th

You must be logged in to post comments. Log in.