April Sewing Tip of the Month

Sewing on a Button by Machine - Still Pictures
After interfacing, facings and buttonholes have been applied to a garment, you are ready to sew on your buttons. 

Machine Settings
Any zigzag sewing machine can stitch on a button.

  • Stitch type = zigzag
  • Stitch length = 0 or lower feed dog mechanism
  • Stitch width = determined by the button
  • Needle position = left
  • Thread tension = loosen upper tension slightly for a smooth satin stitch
  • Presser foot = either the buttonhole, button or the applique foot

Things you will need:
Garment, buttons and a round toothpick.

Buttons are attached to a garment after the buttonholes have been sewn and placed in relation to their corresponding buttonholes.  If the button opening is located at center front or back, the buttons usually sit along the center line of the garment and the buttonholes extend 1/8” into the extending overlap.  If buttons are closing a waistline or cuff, their placement is somewhat more flexible.  Our example below assumes a center front button opening for a woman's garment.  Women's buttonholes are made on the right front, while men's buttonholes are made on the left front.

(Some pictures on this page require the Macromedia Flash Player.   This page can also be seen with Video Instructions)
(However, each of the 10 videos is about 1MB to download, so a broadband internet connection is recommended)

1)  Line up button opening edges.

Line up garment left and right fronts with facing sides together.  Match the neck, hem, and front opening edges.

2)   Mark button placement with a pin.

Insert a pin through the buttonhole into the button layer at the center front line or 1/8” from the garment edge end of the buttonhole.

    

3)  Separate layers.

Separate left and right fronts, pulling the pin head through the buttonhole while keeping it securely positioned in the button layer.     (If you can't see a moving picture here,
             you need to install the Macromedia Flash Player)

 

4)  The Pin marks the button position.

The pin remains poking through from the facing side to the right side of the garment at the exact spot where the button should be placed.

5 )  Put the button onto the pin.

With the button front right side up, place one of the holes of the button onto the point of the pin.

6 )  Temporarily hold the button in place.

Since you must remove the pin before stitching, hold the button in place with transparent tape while you sew.

7)   Use appropriate presser foot.

Depending on which presser feet that come with your machine, use either the button, the applique or the buttonhole foot.  You need good visibility of stitching area and a groove on the bottom of the foot.

8)   Position the button under the presser foot.

If possible, set needle position to left and leave your presser foot up.  With the needle on the left side of the zig zag stitch cycle, hand lower the needle into the upper left button hole.

NOTE:  Use a toothpick to create a space, about the same thickness as the buttonhole side of the garment.  This space will become a button shank which allows room for the buttonhole to lie flat under the button.

9)  Place the toothpick spacer.

Place the toothpick on top of the center of the button and lower the presser foot.

10)   Adjust stitch width.

Hand lower the needle into the upper right button hole, allowing the thread to cross over the toothpick.  Adjust the stitch width so that the needle clears the toothpick and enters the button hole without touching the button.

      

11) Stitch first set of button holes.

Set Stitch lenght to 0 or lower feed dog.  Stitch in place several time across the toothpick.   Usually 4 to 6 complete zig zags are enough.   Larger buttons need more stitches.
                           (If you can't see a moving picture here,
                you need to install the Macromedia Flash Player )

12)  Reposition for next set of button holes.

Raise the needle and the presser foot.  Slide the garment toward the back of the machine and reposition the needle into the next set of button holes.

Lower the presser foot, test your stitch width, and then machine stitch the second set of button holes as in Step 11.

13)  Remove from machine.

Pull the garment out from the machine and cut the thread, leaving about a 12" thread tail on the button.  You will use this thread tail to make the button shank. 

Remove the toothpick and the tape.

14)  Create shank space.

Pull the button to the end of its threads, making a space between the button and the garment.

15)  Create button shank.

Thread a hand needle with the thread tail from the top of the button.  Hand stitch this thread through a button hole to the facing side of the garment.  Add the bottom thread tail to the needle and push the need back up through the garment and out underneath the button.

16)  Wrap threads.

Pull the button to the end of its threads and wrap the hand needle threads tightly around them 3 or 4 times.

17)  Fasten hand needle threads.

Take one tiny stitch through the thread shank, and before you pull the thread tight, put the needle back through this thread loop.   Now pull all threads tight.

18)   Bury thread ends.

Finally, take one long stitch through the top of the garment fabric directly beneath the button, coming out a short distance away from the button. 

19)  Cut the thread tail.

Pull this last stitch tight and cut the thread ends close to the garment fabric.  When the thread relaxes, it will be hidden inside the garment fabric and will prevent the knot from coming lose.

20)   Test the button.

Put the completed button through its buttonhole to check that it buttons easily and that the garment lies flat.

21)  Finished.

When all buttons are sewn on, the button closure should lie smooth and flat.  The neck and hem edges should be even.


22)  For a series of buttons:
Do all the machine stitching first.  Then make  all of the button shanks and secure each set of thread ends by hand.
   

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