April Sewing Tip of the Month

Sewing on a Button by Machine - Video
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 Still Pictures)
(However, each of the 10 videos is about 1MB to download, so a broadband internet connection is recommended)



1)  Line up button opening edges and
mark button placement.



2)   Place button on marker.



3 )  Place under presser foot
and position needle.

 
4 )  Insert toothpick spacer.



5)   Set sitch width.



6) Set stitch length to 0 or drop feed dog.



7)  Sew on button.

 

8)  Remove from machine.


8)  Make thread shank.  


9) Finished.


10)  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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