How to Make Frog Button Closures

Give your buttoned items a new look with frog button closures.

Frog button closures give an Asian-inspired feel to your wardrobe. The next time you sew, knit or crochet clothing or accessories, consider frog closures as an alternative to traditional button holes. Frog closures look complicated, but once you practice with them they can be very simple to produce. Adding a frog closure to a sweater or purse gives it a polished, professional look.

Things You'll Need

• Soft mat
• Straight pins
• Measuring tape
• Yarn or cord
• Needle and thread
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Arrange four straight pins in a soft mat, such as a cutting mat or a blocking mat. Place the first two pins 1.5 inches apart vertically (one in the north position and one in the south position). Place the east and west pins 2.25 inches apart horizontally, along a line that is halfway between the north and south pins. Add one more pin to the center position of all four existing pins.

2. Take a length of cord or yarn that is 10 inches long, and stick one end underneath the center pin. Loop the cord around the east pin in a counter-clockwise direction, moving back toward the center again. Bring it around the center pin and around the south pin, still moving in a counter-clockwise direction. Tuck the end under the current loops and hold in position with the center pin.

3. Bring the end to loop around the north pin in a clockwise direction. Pin the end down in the center, on top of the other loops. Bring it toward the west pin and wrap it around the west pin in a clockwise direction, tucking the end underneath the other loops and pinning in the center.

4. Use extra pins to pin all of the loops in place in the center of the frog closure. Remove the four outside pins and the center pin, and turn the frog closure over. Use an extra length of yarn or thread and a needle to secure the loops in position in the center with a few small stitches. Cut off the excess yarn or cord so that all that is visible from the top of the closure are the four loops.

5. Sew the frog closure to the edge of your fabric, leaving one loop hanging over the edge of the fabric. Position the frog closure directly opposite the button on the other side of the fabric, lining them up so that the free loop on the frog closure will loop around the button to secure it in place.

References

• Crochet By Faye: Do You Frog?