Making sew-on and decorative buttons with the Button Maker

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes design, minutes to cut or print a whole set. Best method: laser cutting acrylic or 3D printing.

Buttons are the perfect tiny project: fast to make, endlessly customisable, and always useful. Pick a shape (circle, rounded square, hexagon, octagon, triangle, heart, flower, or star), set the diameter, then add the classic 2 or 4 sew holes with your own hole diameter and spacing so they match your needle and thread. A decorative border offsets one or more concentric rings inward for that traditional moulded-button look, and an optional centre symbol from the icon library turns a plain button into a themed one. The 3D preview shows the body and raised border in two colours so you can see exactly how a printed button reads before you export.

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What You'll Need

Material: 2 to 3 mm acrylic, plywood, or leatherette for laser cutting; PLA or PETG for 3D printing
Laser or 3D printer: any diode or CO2 laser, or any FDM or resin printer
Sewing: thread or embroidery floss to attach the finished buttons

Step 1 - Pick a shape and size

Choose the button shape and set the diameter. Lock the aspect ratio to keep circles and regular polygons perfectly even, or unlock it for oval and stretched shapes. Rounded shapes expose a Corner Radius slider.

Step 2 - Sew holes, border, and symbol

Set 2 or 4 sew holes, then tune the hole diameter and spacing so a needle passes cleanly with a solid rim of material around each hole.
Add a decorative border: one or more concentric outlines offset inward, scored for laser or raised for 3D printing.
Toggle a centre symbol and size it to fill the face without crowding the sew holes.
Set the thickness on the 3D Preview tab for STL and 3MF export.

Step 3 - Export

Download the SVG for laser cutting (cut the outline and sew holes, score the border, engrave the symbol), or export STL / 3MF for 3D printing. The 3MF keeps the body and raised border as two coloured parts so a multi-material printer can print them in contrasting filament.

Choose Your Build Method

Laser on acrylic or wood

Engrave the centre symbol first, then score the decorative border rings.
Cut the sew holes and outline last so the piece stays fixed while the detail is added.
Gang up a full sheet of buttons - they nest tightly and a single run makes a whole set.
Deburr the sew holes with a quick pass of a needle so thread never catches.

Make It Yours

Match a garment: cut buttons from offcuts of the same acrylic or leatherette used elsewhere in the make.
Print a themed set - star buttons for a kid's cardigan, heart buttons for a keepsake.
Use a contrasting filament for the raised border so the moulded look pops.
Size tiny buttons for doll clothes or oversized ones for coats and cushions.
Add a maker symbol to the centre and turn buttons into branded closures for handmade bags.
Cut a test button from every new material and keep a reference ring of finishes.

Open the Button Maker

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