Five Pounds, Three Shops: A Notions Hunt for Small Makers

Charity shops are quietly brilliant places for sewing supplies. Behind the mugs and paperback thrillers, there's often a tub of buttons, a bag of lace, or a zip that someone donated with good intentions. The challenge is to hunt well, spend little and come home with things you'll actually use. So here's the fiver challenge: take £5, visit a few local shops or a car boot, and see what notions you can find.

The rules of the challenge

Set a strict budget. A fiver is enough to make you choosy. Take small change, a fabric bag and a tape measure if you have one. Keep a list of what you actually need: specific sizes, colours, or notions for a project. But leave room for a happy accident. The aim isn't to buy the most; it's to buy the best.

What to look for, and what to leave

Buttons: cards of vintage buttons, tins of mixed buttons, and shirts with spare buttons still attached. Look for mother of pearl, horn, wood, metal and glass. Check for cracks, chips, missing shanks and rust. A little tarnish can be cleaned; a snapped shank can't. Matching sets are gold, but odd buttons are useful for crafts.

Notions: thread on wooden spools, bias binding, ric-rac, lace, zips, press studs, hooks and eyes, ribbon and embroidery floss. Check that zips have both pulls and teeth. Check thread for brittleness by snapping a short length; if it breaks easily, leave it. Look for sewing boxes with hidden treasures.

Leave behind: brittle plastic buttons that crumble, stained lace that won't wash, rusty pins, incomplete sets if you need a set, and anything that smells of damp. Your stash should inspire you, not make you sneeze.

Where to hunt

Charity shops: Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and local hospice shops often have a craft corner or a rummage box. Ask staff if they have buttons or sewing items out the back; donations come in all the time. Car boot sales: go early, take cash and be polite. Jumble sales: church halls and scout huts, often advertised on local Facebook groups. Village fetes and table-top sales too.

Clean, sort, store

Tip your haul onto a tray. Brush off loose dust. Wash hard buttons in warm water with a drop of mild washing-up liquid; rinse and dry on a towel. For mother of pearl, shell and vintage painted buttons, use a damp cloth rather than a soak. Metal buttons can be buffed with a soft cloth; avoid harsh polishes that strip the finish. Sort by colour, size or project. Keep original cards if they have lovely graphics; they're part of the charm.

Three quick makes from a mixed haul

1. Button cluster brooch. Gather five or six small odd buttons in a colour family. Stitch them onto a small circle of felt, add a brooch back, and cover the stitches with a tiny fabric scrap. A nice use for singles.

2. Lavender sachet with button closure. Cut two 10cm squares of cotton. Sew right sides together, leave a gap, turn, fill with dried lavender, and slip-stitch closed. Add a loop and a vintage button for a pretty finish. Use up ribbon ends and odd buttons.

3. Zip-pull charm. Thread a large button onto a split ring with a scrap of ribbon or strong thread. Attach to a bag zip or keyring. Choose a button with a shank or large holes, and test that it hangs nicely.

Making it pay for a small maker

If you sell small makes, a charity-shop haul can become part of your story. Sort buttons into colour-themed bundles, photograph them on a linen cloth, and price honestly. Use the best pieces in your products and the rest for mending or samples. Keep a note of where you found things; customers love a bit of provenance. And remember: the cheapest button is the one you'll actually use.

Five pounds doesn't go far in a haberdashery these days, but it can buy a morning of browsing and a jarful of possibilities. That's the charity shop button jar challenge: thrifty, sustainable and quietly joyful.