35+ Best Summer Button Crafts With Tutorials: All Free!

|

Buttons can be cute, interesting, fun, and even amazing. There are just so many shapes and sizes! Whether you’ve got leftover buttons from past projects or a jar filled with precious vintage finds, you’ll love these clever and exciting ways to put them to good use!

Get busy this summer, and give the kids something to do with their extra time! These button crafts and tutorials are a fantastic starting point for making everything from cute jewelry to decorations for your home. You’ll be amazed at how these small items can be turned into big ideas!

Kids’ Button Bracelets or Necklaces

Photo credit: SewCanShe.com

Buttons are a cute way to add color to any outfit. Grab some string and start adding as many buttons as you want! Here’s a tutorial for a kids’ button necklace.

Button Thumbtacks

Photo credit: Amy Smart / Diary of a Quilter

How cute are these DIY button thumbtacks? Add them to a dollar store corkboard, and you have a darling home bulletin board or cute gift!

Folded Paper Sunflowers

paper sunflowers with button centers
Photo credit: One Little Project

Brighten someone’s day with a beautiful sunflower! Learn how to make these stunning flowers with just paper and buttons!

Mixed-Media Card Making

Photo credit: DashaR / Shutterstock.com

Buttons can be a great addition to your paper crafting supplies. It can be the perfect shape for a balloon on a birthday card or even the wheels of a car for your new driver’s memory book. Don’t be afraid to think outside the paper box!

Button Crochet Key Chain

Photo credit: Knitting Home

This fast button craft crochet pattern is a video tutorial. It goes so quickly I can see making lots of these! You could make them as ornaments or embellishments for any occasion.

Wire and Chain Necklace

Photo credit: The Corner Of Craft

This button craft necklace is so cute! Imagine using flower buttons or mixing up colors. You could use this as a bag accessory instead of a necklace too; check out the video tutorial at The Corner Of Craft.

DIY Button Tree Wall Art

Photo credit: Crafts by Amanda

Celebrate your family tree with a beautiful wall hanging featuring buttons! I love this free button craft tutorial from Crafts by Amanda.

Wrapped Wreath from Yarn and Buttons

Photo credit: Buttons Galore and More

I absolutely love this easy wreath you can make with buttons and yarn. It’s a great button craft activity to do with kids or adults!

Crochet Holiday Garland with Button Berries

Photo credit: Sum of their Stories

Use red buttons to decorate a holiday garland. This tutorial from Sum of their Stories shows how to make this crochet garland, but I think the idea can be used in garlands made of so many other materials too!

Button Heart Pillow Wrap

Photo credit: Orange Bettie

Here’s a sweet tutorial showing how to sew a beautiful pillow wrap with a button craft heart design!  Old buttons and a velvet heart applique give it a vintage look that’s perfect for changing up the look of any pillow.

Three Strand Wire Necklace

Photo credit: GoodKnitKisses

Have you tried your hand at crochet with wire? I’m sure you could make the same design with yarn or string; I’m not sure how comfortable wire would be. Check out the video on GoodKnitKisses.

Button Stud Earrings

Photo credit: Craftic

Stud earrings may be the perfect way to show off your favorite buttons or some buttons that hold a special memory. Learn how to make DIY button earrings.

Fridge Magnets

Photo credit: Amy Smart / Diary of a Quilter

A cute button with a magnet glued to the back makes a sweet gift to hold kids’ drawings on the fridge. This easy DIY tutorial shows how to make magnets with covered buttons, but any big button will work great!

DIY Button Ornament

Photo credit: Craftic

Grab your button jar and some plastic ornaments! This is a fun craft to do with kids before the holidays. There’s a free DIY tutorial if you need ideas.

Ribbon Bookmark

button bookmark
Photo credit: 5minutesformom.com

Use this free DIY tutorial for big impact with just a few supplies. The instructions are clear, and the possibilities are endless!

Button Fidget Toy

button fidget toy
Photo credit: AppleGreen Cottage

Make a toy for small children’s quiet play time! This clever DIY toy idea is easy to make and great for working on fine motor skills and colors! Find the free felt and button craft tutorial at Apple Green Cottage.

Gorgeous Fabric Covered Button Necklace

button necklace
Photo credit: Easy Peasy Creative Ideas

Customize your own covered buttons with your favorite fabrics to make a beautiful button necklace. This is a great summer DIY button craft project for kids and teens.

Bejewelled Vase and Plant Pot

Photo credit: Sum of their Stories

Embellish a vase or pot with buttons, gems, beads, sequins, and embellishments you’ve saved from old Birthday cards. These items are all perfect for this project.

Kids’ Christmas Crafts 

Photo credit: Elena Chevalier / Shutterstock.com

Paper, glue, and buttons make fun Christmas crafts for kids. Buttons can be stacked on floral wire to create a fun shape like a tree, wreath, or snowflake! Don’t be afraid to create whatever comes to mind.

Kid-Friendly Holiday Button Wreath

Photo credit: Gluesticks

This sweet DIY button craft wreath is glued to a blank art canvas so it is truly a work of art that can be displayed year after year. It’s a cute kids (or grownups’) craft for every season.

Simple Crochet Button Necklace

pattern not free, but video tutorial is free.
Photo credit: TwistedYarns.com

There is a link for a free DIY video tutorial for this button craft fringe on TwistedYarns.com. If you want to download the pattern it’s only a few dollars, and what a great way to use all the buttons you can find!

Button Embellished Note Cards

Photo credit: Sum of Their Stories

Learn how to make darling button embellishments to decorate handmade paper cards. Sum of Their Stories has a free tutorial for the button embellishment and the card.

Nesting Baskets With Button-Down Flaps

Photo credit: Gluesticks

If you can sew a little bit, that’s enough to make these darling nesting baskets with fabric and felt. There is no need to trim or hem; sew the two pieces together, fold the corners, and you’ll have a cute felt basket to hold everything from glue sticks to crayons or bobby pins to lip gloss!

Easy DIY Button Bracelet

Photo credit: AllThingsTarget.com

These easy button craft bracelets are so easy to make. Use them for a party activity, make lots for a class gift, add them to your craft fair booth to draw people in. The free tutorial is easy to follow and you don’t need any special tools.

Button Bouquet Craft

Photo credit: Sum of their Stories

You won’t believe how easy it is to make a sweet little DIY button craft bouquet with an empty thread spool. Hang it as an ornament, or have your class make it as a Mother’s Day gift.

Monogrammed Button Bunting

Photo credit: Craftic


Use your buttons to make a monogram bunting! This would be cute for a birthday party, anniversary, or just an ‘I love you’ banner.

Toddler Counting Game

Photo credit: PhotoUG / Shutterstock.com

Your little one can have so much fun counting and sorting buttons. With the different types and colors, sorting time is endless!

Button Cluster Key Ring

Photo credit: Sum of Their Stories

These button cluster key rings are easy to make and so cute. They would also be lovely on a long pendant or as custom DIY bag charms.

Hair Accessories 

Photo credit: DashaR / Shutterstock.com

Need to dress up for a special event? Bows, headbands, and hair clips can be jazzed up by sparkly buttons in no time! 

Cute Bobby Pins or Barrettes with Buttons

Photo credit: Easy Peasy Creative Ideas

If you’re into embellished hair accessories, these cute DIY bobby pins are something you should definitely make! Learn how at Easy Peasy Creative Ideas.

Button Flower Pendant

Photo credit: Craftic

There’s even more jewelry you can make with cute buttons. Learn how to make a button necklace pendant!

Letter Embellishments

Photo credit: Sum of Their Stories

Brown paper packages tied up with strings AND buttons! A DIY button closure is such a sweet way to embellish a custom-wrapped gift or love letter. 

Shirt Cuff Button Pouches

Photo credit: Heather Handmade

Look at the cute button pouches you can make from shirt cuffs! This is a great tutorial for teaching kids to sew. They’ll have an adorable pouch when they’re done, and no one has to sew the buttonhole!

Button Clutch Bag

Photo credit: Sum of Their Stories

Cover an old clutch bag with buttons for a whole new look. You might find the bag and the buttons at your local thrift store!

Doodle Flower Greeting Cards

Photo credit: Sum of Their Stories

This DIY button doodle card tutorial is so clear and easy that you can make these adorable cards even if you’ve never tried doodling before.

Button Earrings

Photo credit: Sum of Their Stories

Combine some basic jewelry-making supplies with cute buttons, and you have a new way to show everyone how much you love crafting! Just wear your new button earrings.

More from SewCanShe:

thrift store
Photo credit: Alice & Lois

Simple & Sweet: 20+ FREE Felt Sewing Patterns You’ll Love!

Photo credit: PattimacMakes.com

25 Handmade Gifts To Sew For A Friend Facing Challenges

Photo credit: thehousethatlarsbuilt.com

Sew With Scraps: 100 Free Patterns!

Photo credit: Sum Of Their Stories

Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂