Making buttonholes can be rather intimidating, but when it comes to making them in a suit or fancy outfit for a customer, it’s all the more stressful. I don’t know about you, but once I finish the buttonhole portion of the project I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief – the rest of the project should be pretty easy from here!
Throughout the years I’ve run across a few good tips and hints for sewing those daunting buttonholes, so thought I’d share a few with you.
** By using “fray check” on your buttonholes, the threads won’t ravel from use. Give your customers the added benefit of helping keep their buttonholes looking nice.
** If you’re working on more than one garment at a time – if the thread colors match, make ALL the buttonholes at one time and get that part of the project out of the way. Whew! The rest should be easy from this point on.
** An easy way to prevent cutting past the buttonhole when clipping the buttonhole open is to place a straight pin at each end, or even better have a pair of buttonhole scissors on hand.
**Buttonholes are easier to make if you use a backing of “Stitch ‘n Tear”. The buttonholes won’t get out of shape, and the backing will tear away easily after the project is finished.
** Vertical buttonholes work best when sewing with knits, as they will stretch less than horizontal buttonholes.
** The easiest way to mark evenly spaced buttonholes is to use an expanding gauge. Open the gauge so that the points are the correct distance apart, then mark the positions for the buttonholes.
** If your sewing project includes big or fancy buttons, remind your customers to cover them with aluminum foil before washing to protect them.
If you have any additional hints or tips for working with buttonholes, please pass them along — we as well as all of our readers will be ever so grateful!
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