On the Mend (Part 2)

Buttons Continuing our short series on how to extend the life of your clothes. Here is a quick tutorial on reattaching a button. You can read about how to fix a hole in a side seem in Part 1.

Knowing how to reattached a button is a great skill to learn, especially because a loose button is not only inevitable, but you can find great deals at stores. I once scored a particularly lovely wool coat when it was on the sale rack, missing several of its buttons. The extra ones were still attached along the tag and by pointing out the missing buttons at the register, I was able to get another 10% off the already discounted coat, all the while thinking that the buttons were such an easy and quick fix! So onto the how-to:

To reattach said button, you will need your button, needle and matching thread.

Thread your needle and place button over appropriate place on your garment. Start by placing your needle from the back/inside of the garment and push to the front/outside and into the first hole on your button.

From here you will work differently for different buttonhole configurations. Take your queue from how the other buttons on your garment are sewn. For two holes, you will stitch in and out of these two holes; go in the first hole and back in the other; repeat until you have the same thickness of threading as your other buttons. On your last pass through, pull your needle through the second buttonhole but don’t go through the garment. Take the thread and wrap it around the stitches on the underside of the button about 3 to 5 times. Pull through the needle to the back/inside of the garment and tie off.

For a four hole button you can stitch a couple of different ways. The easiest way to attach these buttons it to assign each hole a number; 1 through 4:

1-2
4-3

To make your buttons look like they have two stitches, you will start by coming up hole 1, down 2, up 3, down 4, and repeat. Do this until you have the same thickness as your other buttons. Wrap the thread as before and tie off.

To make criss-cross stitches on your four hole buttons you will start by coming up hole 1, down 3, up 4, down 2, and repeat. Finish off as before.

Your garments should now be good as new!

[Image by Laineys Repertoire under a creative commons lisence]

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  1. Pingback: Handmade Holidays: Upcycled Cuffs : Crafting a Green World

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