The Best Way to Sew a Button

It happens to me too -- you reach for a button and end up pulling it off. Or maybe it's hanging by a few loose threads, dangling precariously. Here is one method for sewing (or re-sewing!) buttons that keeps them on securely.

Hopefully you took my advice from the previous post and bought good, strong thread. Take a length of thread -- I find an arm's length sews 2-3 buttons -- and double-thread your needle, that is, tie the two ends of the thread in a knot together.

Now push the needle through the wrong side of the fabric and through one of the button's holes, and back down through another hole and through the fabric. Before pulling the thread tight, however, pass your needle between the two threads still in back (i.e. pass your needle just under the knot). This will anchor the knot firmly in place and keep it from pulling out even if the fabric wears and the hole becomes bigger. Double strong thread is unlikely to snap under the usual pressures of daily wear and even under stress is surprisingly tenacious. Finish sewing the button on by passing the thread four or five times through each pair of holes.

*IMPATIENT TIP! If you are strapped for time or finger mobility, you can use your sewing machine to sew on a button (it's less strong but fast and you can pass the thread just about as many times as you like). You'll need to drop your feeder dogs all the way -- try setting stitch length to 0. I usually take off my presser foot as well and use the presser "leg" to hold the button in place. Set your machine to a zigzag stitch. Turn the wheel to do the first few stitches, making sure the stitch width is correct for the spacing of the button holes. Once you are confident that all spacing is correct, you can run the machine electrically (although it's still better to go slowly, and technically you can do this entirely by turning the wheel if you've got the wrist for it). When you've sewn several stitches, you can cut the thread and move on to the next button.

WARNING! This can be dangerous if not done right! If the needle strikes a hard button at a high speed (i.e. during electric sewing), either one or both may break and send sharp debris flying toward your face! Always exercise common sense and prudence when doing anything that may involve sharp debris flying toward your face. If you're nervous about it, safety goggles might not be a bad idea.

Gathering your Materials

Before you can sew, you need to round up your supplies. Make a list of anything you'll need to buy or get for your project. Think:

• Pattern - when choosing a pattern, make sure to get one in your size. Make sure you know in advance what size you need!
• Fabric - write down how much fabric, contrast, lining, etc. you will need. Many patterns call for different amounts of fabric based on whether the width of your fabric is 110cm or 150cm. You might want to write down both these numbers.
• Thread - My mother taught me to always choose thread to match my fabric. Many of my garments, I simply sew with white or black thread. Matching or contrast thread is important, however, for stitching that will show - such as hems or topstitching.
  My mother also taught me to always buy good-quality thread, such as Gütterman thread (which is sold in pretty much every sewing store I've ever seen). Cheap thread will break, both while you are sewing and in the finished garment. Don't cheap out on thread.
• Notions - remember to write these down -- think zippers, buttons, lace, elastic. Write down lengths and numbers.
• Interfacing - many garments call for this but I only use it infrequently. Places I do use it include belts, corsets, and some collars.

Ideally, you buy the fashion fabric first, and then match everything else to that. If you buy the fabric on a separate trip from the notions, you can cut a small triangle from the corner of your fabric called a swatch. I carry all my swatches pinned together with a safety pin in my purse for impromptu sewing shopping.

When you get it all home, you should launder your fabric before cutting it. This is another step that really shouldn't be skipped. Fabric is liable to shrink when first washed, and much of the fabric you'll buy hasn't been. If you cut and sew fabric that hasn't been washed, the seams may pull the first time you wash the finished garment. I try to wash all my fabric when I first get it home; that way, I can be sure that any fabric I pluck from a bin is ready to go. If, however, you are confused about whether or not you've washed a certain piece, look at the edges -- many fabrics will fray a little after a wash, instead of having the crisp edges they did when they were first cut.

If I bring home all the articles for a new project (pattern, fabric, trim, thread, zipper, etc) but don't plan to start it right away, I tend to store it separately in a plastic bag or something until I am ready for it. This way, there is no digging around when I begin.

The Impatient Hem

Except for the rare cases when facing takes care of it, most garments have hems. I don't know about you, but I hate pinning those things up the way my mother taught me -- it's time-consuming and hard on the fingers. So I stopped doing it that way, and simplified the process.

The Impatient Hem

Step 1. Zigzag edge of fabric.
Step 2. Fold up the edge of the fabric to the width of your presser foot (usually 3/8")
Step 3. Using your presser foot as a guide, stitch a 3/8" single-fold hem.

The first time I tried this, I neglected to include step 1. It was a wool dress. I'm still snipping "fleebers" from the edges. But finish the edge first, and you are golden.


Some other tricks to keep from having to sew hems:

• Use a fabric such as felt, which doesn't fray. Knits tend not to fray either, but it's up to you to decide whether you like the aesthetic of "the roll".
  
• One trick I use for things like patch pockets is to zigzag the edges with a short (buttonhole) stitch. It uses a lot of thread but can create a lovely effect, especially with contrast thread.
  
• If you fuse a piece of interfacing to your fabric before cutting out a shape, the edges will not fray.
  
• You can always use a product like Fray-Check but keep in mind that this will make the edges all crusty and hard.