How to Make a Sturdy Felt Button

   I told you about necessity being the mother of invention, but I neglected to mention that poverty is the mother of necessity.  Perhaps, unlike me, you have the means to buy whatever buttons you want whenever you want.  If you do, these are sooooo cool that you may want to make them anyway.  Or,  better yet ~ check out my Etsy shop.  I hope to offer them for sale soon.

 Trace a circle on a piece of hard plastic.  I used a button for my pattern.
You could skip this and use an old button or even buy plain buttons ~ but I enjoy the thrill of making something useful out of what would otherwise be headed for the recycle bin.

 Cut out the circle and use a seam ripper to poke two holes in it.

  

Sew heavy cotton thread through the holes.

  

Make a bobble with wool.
For a 5/8" button I used worsted weight yarn and size 10 1/2 needles.  

CO 1 st. Knit it 3 times.  On next row, increase 1 st each end. (5 st.)  Work 4 rows stockinette.  Dec. 1 st. each end of next row.  Then S1, P2tog, PSSO. Pull yarn through. Wrap knitted bobble around plastic disc and draw yarn around the edges, pulling tight.
You could also cut circles out of the lesser worn parts of an old wool sweater.
(Finish the edges so they won't unravel.)

 To give a rounded, rose-like finish, you can crochet a chain and sew it on to the bobble in a spiral. 

(You can also add this or other embellishments after felting.)

Now throw them in the washing machine.

Turn the washer to hot wash - cold rinse for the smallest load possible.

Put the buttons in a bag and zip or tie shut.  Add a heavy piece of fabric to increase the agitation.  

One wash did the felting for me.  You may need more.

Felted buttons:

I used the cotton thread to sew the button to a bag.  Then I sewed it again with yarn.