This is the second of the Basic Sewing Skills posts this year (find the first on how to thread a needle and make a knot in your thread here). A button coming off a garment should never be a reason to just throw it away. Sewing on a button is not difficult.
How to sew a two-hole button on a shirt
1 Thread your needle with a thread to match either the button or the garment. Use a double thread.
2 Knot your thread.
3 Mark the position of the button on the right side of the garment.
4 Push the needle up from the wrong side of the garment.
5 Push the needle up through a hole in the button, from underneath.
6 Go down through the other hole in the button. Align your stitch vertically (see photo above).
7 Take the needle down through the fabric.
8 Repeat steps 4-7 at least 3 more times.
9 Take the needle down through the fabric and finish off neatly by making a couple of small stitches on top of each other.
How to stitch a button onto a coat
If the fabric of the garment is bulky, you will need to make a shank (like a kind of stalk) underneath the button to make enough space for the thick fabric of the buttonhole, for example in a bulky wool coat.
1 Follow steps 1 - 6 above but slip a matchstick into the loop on top of the button before going on to step 7.
2 Continue with steps 7.
3 Repeat steps 4 to 7 twice more.
4 Repeat steps 4-6 ending with the needle below the button.
5 Take out the matchstick and lift the button a little. Wind the thread round four times under the button to make a shank (see below).
6 Take the thread to the back to finish off.
How to stitch a four-hole button onto a shirt
Follow the steps for the two-hole button above but complete steps 5 to 7 by going across the button diagonally in one direction before going into the fabric. Do this three times and then stitch again diagonally in the opposite direction three times.
An alternative is to do the stitches across the button in two parallel lines as shown on the cardigan buttons below:
How to stitch on a button with a shank
If your button already has a shank to make it stand up from the fabric, meaning that there is plenty of room for the buttonhole (for example with a bulky tweed fabric, as shown above) you stitch it on like this:
1 Thread your needle with a double thread to match either the button or the garment.
2 Knot your thread.
3 Mark the position of the button on the right side of the garment.
4 Make a small stitch through the mark to secure the thread.
5 Push the needle through a hole in the shank of the button.
6 Go back down into the fabric.
7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 three more times
8 Finish off the threads at the back.
Securing a button on a suede or leather jacket
For a suede or leather jacket or a heavyweight fabric such as a tweed jacket, instead of using a knot on the back, you can use another, small button. This is the button on the front of a suede jacket:
The button is held in place with this smaller button at the back:
There will be more basic sewing tutorials at the beginning of each month, here on the blog. Subscribe to get them all!
Join me next Monday for the second instalment of the 'Seaside Album' 2024 Quilt with blocks full of appliquƩ and embroidery. Read about the project here and find the instructions for the January block here
A customer has just today bought the 'Abstract Watercolour' cushion cover pattern from the Amanda Jane Textiles Etsy shop. This gives a great basic tutorial on making a cushion cover, including how to put in a zip. You can get the pattern here
In the photo, the cushion is made up with my design 'Abstract Watercolour', printed onto velours fabric by Spoonflower. Find the design here
Thank you for reading my blog. Quilt Patterns are here, Fabrics are here, Classes are here
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