Buttonholes get a bad rap! For many novice sewists, this step can be the most intimidating when creating a garment. Luckily, we’ve got a handy tutorial for you to make sure your buttonholes are looking beautiful for years to come!
- Prepare your fabric for the buttonhole. For best results, you will want to add some interfacing to the back of the fabric to add stability. TIP: Before sewing on your fashion fabric, do a few practice buttonholes on a similar or scrap fabric to make sure you do not need to adjust tension.
- Measure your button. Your buttonhole should measure the diameter of your button, plus 1/8″. For example, if your button measures 1/2″ across, you will need a 5/8″ buttonhole.
- Draw your buttonhole on your fabric with a marking tool to ensure proper placement.
- Set up your machine for your buttonhole. Each machine is different, so refer to the manual included with your machine. Generally, a buttonhole uses an 0.5″ stitch length.
- Attach your buttonhole foot to your machine. It is a long foot, usually plastic, with a rectangular hole in the center.
- Get ready to sew! Place your fabric under the machine and start on your first buttonhole stitch. Each machine is different, but typically, a rectangular buttonhole involves two horizontal tacks with two vertical satin stitches to form a rectangle. Make sure to follow your machine’s instructions to see how your machine best sews a buttonhole. While sewing, end both of your vertical stitches at the end of the line you drew.
- Take your finished buttonhole from the machine and snip your threads.
- Grab a seam ripper and rip your buttonhole lengthwise, making sure to keep the horizontal threads intact.
- Test to make sure your buttonhole fits, and you’re done!
