Collect, Sort, and Reuse Buttons from Shirts You No Longer Wear
Turning Drawer Buttons into a Resource
Spare buttons that come with new clothes and buttons still attached to shirts you are throwing away tend to roll around in drawers in almost every home. Gathering, sorting, and reusing these small items is an organizing hobby that costs almost nothing. You can replace a lost button right away, and once collected, they become a colorful collection and useful material for small accessories.
| Section | Key summary |
|---|---|
| Turning Drawer Buttons into a Resource | Short key point |
| Starter Supplies and Budget | You can start with almost 0 won |
| Difficulty and Time Needed | The difficulty level is easy |
| First Attempt Steps | Gather all buttons from household drawers, clothes, and spare-button packets |
| Reviving Collected Buttons as Accessories | Once your collection box fills up, move on to reusing them |
Starter Supplies and Budget
You can start with almost 0 won. The essentials are only two things: removing buttons and sorting them into containers. A single compartmentalized case makes sorting much easier.
| Supplies | Use | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Small scissors or seam ripper | Removing buttons from clothes | Things you already have at home: 0 won |
| Compartment case or pill organizer | Sorting and storing by size and color | 2,000 to 5,000 won |
| Several zip bags | Temporary sorting and spare storage | 1,000 to 2,000 won |
| Needle and thread set | Reattaching buttons and making accessories | 3,000 to 5,000 won |
Difficulty and Time Needed
The difficulty level is easy. It requires almost no hand skills, and once you set a sorting system, you only need to put each new button in its place. Sorting 50 buttons for the first time takes 30 to 40 minutes, and removing buttons from one piece of clothing takes about 5 minutes.
First Attempt Steps
- Gather all buttons from household drawers, clothes, and spare-button packets. For clothes you plan to discard, use a seam ripper to cut only the thread knots holding the buttons.
- Decide on a sorting standard. The easiest method is a two-step system: size -> color. First divide them into large, medium, and small.
- Within each size group, sort again by color. White, black, brown, and other colors are enough.
- Place them in a compartment case and add a small label to each section, such as "medium, white."
- Set aside unusual buttons in a separate zip bag, such as those with 4 holes, 2 holes, or a shank on the back, for accessory making.
- Keep frequently used white and black buttons with your sewing tools so you can replace a fallen button right away.
Reviving Collected Buttons as Accessories
Once your collection box fills up, move on to reusing them. Thread 5 to 6 buttons of the same color onto thick thread to make a bookmark or bag charm, or attach one chunky button to a hair tie to make a button hair accessory. Lining up large buttons in similar colors on a piece of fabric also works well as a small framed decoration. Something that almost got thrown away gains a new use each time.