What if you are on a trip and a button has popped off from the only washed pants left in your luggage? Wouldn’t you like to use that small needle kit you got from your hotel to be able to wear your clothing presentably?. (It is a good idea to have this kit always in your bag; You never know when a button wants to wander)
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No sewing skill is needed to sew the simple button with a few hand stitches. Good eyesight to thread the needle and hand ability to pass the needle through the fabric are all you need.Â
Basic rules for sewing a button
Rule No.1 Buttons are one of the last things you sew when sewing a dress. Buttonholes are made before buttons are stitched onto the garment for correct placement.
Rule No.2 When sewing from a pattern, sew on the center line marking on the pattern. If you have qualms marking with chalk on the face of the garment use tailor tack stitches to mark the button placements.
Rule No.3 When selecting numbers, I go for an odd number of buttons rather than an even number.
Choosing the right button
There are many varieties of buttons for you to choose from like see-through buttons, irregularly-shaped buttons. Sew-through buttons are flat-buttons with two or more holes through which we loop thread and attach it to the fabric.
Select buttons according to the fabric of your garment. A heavy fabric needs a heavy button, and delicate fabric need small buttons. A contrasting button over your fabric will add an interesting element to the garment’s design.
Use smooth flat textured buttons on smooth textured fabrics and shiny buttons on shiny fabrics.
If you find that you are not able to match the exact color of the fabric for your button, choose a darker color rather than a lighter color. A darker-colored button will blend in, and a lighter one will stand out against the fabric color.
What about replacing buttons on old clothes?
If your popped button has chosen to wander off, you have a problem. You will have to find a spare one. Most good quality clothes have an extra button on the side seams.
If you do not have a replacement button, choose the button according to the other buttons or as per the size of the buttonhole.
If you are at home and your dress does not seem to have a spare one on the side seams, you can pick a similar one from an old shirt or blouse – Unless you have a box full of buttons collected over the years in all shapes and sizes.
I have such a collection, as well as those I have scavenged from old throw-away clothes. (Handy tip – never throw away an old dress without taking off the buttons )
Choosing the thread for sewing buttons
It is best if you can use a button thread for sewing buttons instead of the normal sewing thread as that is very strong and more durable. But it is ok if you do not have that.
Topstitching thread or carpet thread is also used as they are also sturdy especially for heavy fabric.
Regarding the color of the thread, normally, I use the same colored thread as the garment. If you are sewing clothes, choose the same colored thread you used to sew them, if you do not have a heavy thread. If you are reattaching, try to find a closer color.
When hand sewing the button, you can make the thread you have better and more malleable by coating it with the wax from a candle or beeswax.
Should you use Interfacing under the buttons?
If you are sewing the button onto a very thin fabric, it is a very good idea to add a small piece of interfacing to the area where you will stitch the button. The button will put a lot of strain on the fabric, which may tear, and the addition of the interfacing will prevent this.
Sometimes another small button is used on the other side of the fabric instead of interfacing.
Placement of buttons
Buttons are placed 1/4 inch from the edge.
Place the top button 1/4 inch from the neckline and then place the bottom button 1 1/4 inch from the hem – Now divide the distance between these buttons by the number of buttons remaining minus 1 to get the distance between each button.
steps to handstitching the Button
Step 1
I would take some 20-inch lengths of thread ( You can wing this measure by measuring from the tip of your fingers to the elbow and add a little extra – to be accurate an arms size). This is a manageable length for sewing anything.
Thread the needle with your thread.
Step 2
Tie a knot catching both ends.( What I do is to roll the ends around my forefinger and then, with the help of my thumb, slip the rolled thread off the finger and then tighten it to form the knot.) . It is better if you make this knot twice.
Another option is to leave a long tail ( 1 -2 inches) which you can cut off later. This is the preferred way for professionals because when you finally cut off the end, there is no visibly ugly knot at the back. Just stitch 3-4 times to anchor the thread at the start.
You have taken the first steps to sew the button.
Step 3
Mark where you want the button placed. To know where to place the button precisely for an existing buttonhole, keep it aligned on the placket. Mark through the buttonhole with a pin or narrow chalk (or whatever marking tool you have). Separate the placket.
Bring up the needle from the back of the fabric to the front at the place where you marked it. Make two small stitches on the same place- This is done to anchor the thread there.
Step 4
Place the button on top of the stitches. Use a piece of scotch tape to keep the button in place if you want to.
You need a button spacer between the button and the fabric to raise the button a bit. This rise will make a small shank which you need to ease the button to the buttonhole. Shank is necessary for the buttons to be buttoned. Full stop.
I usually place a spare needle across the button and sew the button stitches over it. You can place a needle or toothpick under the button as well.
Please note that if there are many layers through which the button will have to be buttoned, the shank thickness should be more when compared to the shank of a, say, a shirt.
Step 3
Insert the button onto the needle (from the underside of the button) through any of the four holes. Decide if you want a cross-stitch or a parallel stitch, and insert the needle (from the topside) back down through the button in the appropriate hole.
For Parallel stitches, stitch across to the other hole atleast 5 times. Do the same for the next pair of holes for a 4 hole button.
Step 4
As a final step, go to the space between the fabric and the button with the needle and thread. Wrap the thread 3 times around the thread loops between the button and fabric. Go to the back ( push your needle through the thread of the shank. Pull the needle and thread all the way through) and finish off.
You can sew the stitches across the buttons in many ways, as seen in the picture below.
More like this:
- Varieties of buttons
- Different types of buttonholes
- How to sew a hand sewn buttonhole
- How to sew buttonhole with sewing machine
- Make cloth buttons and fabric-covered buttonsÂ
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