About ten years ago I bought a blue shirt that loved, except for the large, white buttons. When I looked at that shirt, I couldn't see anything else except those horrible buttons. I bought the shirt anyway and made my own buttons out of polymer clay. It was one of my first polymer clay projects. I simply rolled out the polymer clay, cut it into squares and rectangles, added texture with a sharp blade, and added holes with a toothpick.
Of course, it wasn't foolproof. I didn't learn until after I sewed them all on that I should have rounded the corners a little bit. Every time I wore that shirt, I had to get dressed verrrrrry carefully—those button edges were sharp!
If you want to make a button for the Button Swap (handmade is not required!), here are a few tutorials to help you get started.
Crochet
Cover regular shirt buttons with crochet. The instructions by Creative Jewish Mom are written for crafters familiar with crochet basics, as they are just text with a photo of the finished project.
Fabric
This tutorial by CraftPudding covers regular buttons with shanks using an easy running stitch technique. Lots of great step-by-step photos!
I've also used those metal button covers you can buy at the fabric store and covered them with fabric. You can use plain fabric or you can embellish the fabric with embroidery and/or seed beads. (See my Bead Embellished Buttons at Beading Daily as an example.)
Felt
Before I saw this tutorial by My Poppet, it never occurred to me to make a button out of felt. This tutorial uses the needle felting technique. Includes step-by-step photos and minimal text instructions.
Metal Clay
There's a Silver Button Tutorial by Tim McCreight at Metal Clay Academy. (Scroll down on the beginner tutorial page to find the link.) The instructions are minimal with a few illustrations. I like that these instructions give you examples of using things you might have around the house—like a toothpaste cap—as tools.
Polymer Clay
A nice series of beginning button lessons at Polka Dot Cottage shows several ways to make buttons with polymer clay, including plain colors and stripes. Great step-by-step photos and instructions. I like how precise she is with her materials, recommending specific brands and tools for the best results.
Rubber Stamps
This is so easy! While this short and sweet tutorial by Humblebeads isn't specific to buttons, you can use the same easy stamping technique on purchased buttons made of resin, acrylic, or plastic. This technique also works well on metal. The photos of the finished beads are sure to give you some new ideas.
Seed Beads (Bead Embroidery)
Look at the step-by-step tutorial by Beading Arts for tips on how to make a button using metal button covers and bead embroidery. I like how she put a watch face in the center.
I haven't found a good free tutorial on using beadweaving to create buttons. I've made the peyote buttons from Beadwork and those were easy.
Shrink Plastic
If you like to draw (or can trace a pattern), you might enjoy experimenting with making buttons with shrink plastic like BettyJoy does. She includes suggestions for finishing techniques to make the buttons waterproof and includes lots of step-by-step photos.
Transfers
I experimented with this when I was working on Handcrafted Jewelry Studio. There are different types of transfers. Some use heat or pressure to adhere the transfer to the surface. Waterslide transfers are also common and work like a sticker. Follow the package instructions for adhering the transfer. Fire Mountain Gems has tutorials (both video and text) on using waterslide image transfers on polymer clay. Fusion Beads has a nice step of step-by-step photos and text showing how to use transfers on metal.
Wood
This very ambitious step-by-step tutorial with photos by Michele Made Me begins "break out your electric miter saw." Even if you don't want to start from step one and cut your own buttons out of wood, you might enjoy the second half of the instructions where she uses tissue paper and ModPodge to transfer her own designs to the button.
Good luck! Let me know if you have tried making your own buttons and if you have tutorials to recommend. I'm going to make a few buttons in the next few weeks. I'll share the results (and a tutorial, if the results are good!) in a future post.