Second Post today!!

How about that, don't post for a week, then twice in a few hours. I've been dyeing buttons this morning, and for those who have asked about it, I thought you might want to see the results.

The purple worked really well, the turquoise less so, so I added a bit more dye and 'cooked' them for a bit longer, and the lime was good......The orange and the pink worked well. Even the buttons that didn't take the dye very well, that were going to be rejects, look a bit more interesting when all mixed in together.You need Disperse Dye - I get mine from Art Van Go (Apparently there ARE other art shops, but the staff aren't so lovely) Put half a pint of water in an old saucepan. Oh sorry, I forgot the first step - spend about half an hour trying to find where you put the old saucepan. It was in my shed, to ensure I didn't inadvertently use it for food. Although, to be honest, if you're eating something I've cooked, the fact that I used a saucepan that's been used for dyeing, is the least of your worries.

Put a smidgeon of the dye powder into the water. A smidgeon is a tad more than a pinch. I suppose if you wanted to be exact, I'd say a quarter of a teaspoonful. Add the buttons, bring SLOWLY to simmer, and then simmer for 2-3 minutes. And that's it - done! Just rinse, dry and admire.

Some button materials work better than others, and I really can't say what works and what doesn't, you just have to experiment. And presumably, if you didn't like a bit of experimenting, you wouldn't be dyeing buttons in the first place. Unfortunately, those lovely mother-of-pearl buttons don't seem to take the dye, although the cheap pearly ones do. Just try it, and I swear you'll never thrown another shirt button away again!

There's enough dye in each jar to dye about half a hundred weight of buttons, so you could club together with some other barmy mates, and get a selection of colours, and all dye together. (Please make sure you spell the invitations correctly though, don't want people getting the wrong idea)