Making Amy Butler Pillows, Part III

Now my pillow is ready for its covered buttons. Amy Butler’s directions suggest using a doll maker’s needle, which is a very long needle; I did not have a doll needle, so I used a darning needle. Make sure you use heavy-duty thread, suitable for upholstering in this step; doubling regular thread can help, but it still tends to break when you pull it this tight.

Thread your long needle and tie the end to the button’s loop. Now you are ready to push the needle down through the front to the back; make a catch stitch and come back catching the loop of the button again. Continue to pull the thread tight, so that the pillow is indented. Push the needle back to the pillow’s back and catch the thread under your stitches, but don’t cut it. Bring the thread through the back button’s loop and tie it; now push your needle down through the pillow to the front and catch the front button. Go through to the back and catch the back button. Repeat a couple of times and secure your thread under the back button.