How to Sew Buttonholes and Buttons on a Sewing Machine

Buttonholes scare many beginners, but on a modern sewing machine they take less than a minute each. The secret is all in the preparation: stable fabric, accurate marks and a test on a scrap. This guide shows you how to sew buttonholes on a sewing machine, how to open them cleanly, and how to sew on buttons that stay put.

In short: interface the button band → mark the buttonholes → test on a scrap → sew with the buttonhole foot → seal and open with a pin as a stop → mark the buttons through the holes → sew them on with a thread shank.

1. Prepare the fabric

A buttonhole is a small, dense block of stitches, and it pulls on the fabric every time you button up. The area must be interfaced: the button band, the placket, the cuff or the waistband should already have a layer of fusible interfacing inside. Without it, the stitches pucker and the hole stretches out of shape. Your pattern tells you which pieces to interface.

2. Mark the buttonholes

1. Transfer the marks from the pattern with chalk or a washable pen, on the right side of the fabric. Use the paper as a template.
2. Check the length. A buttonhole is the diameter of the button plus its thickness. For a flat 12 mm (½″) button, that is about 15 mm. If you use a different button from the pattern, change the length.
3. Place one at the fullest point. On a shirt or a dress, a button at bust level stops the front from gaping. Space the others evenly from there.
4. Women’s garments button right over left, so the buttonholes go on the right front. Men’s garments are the other way round.

3. Sew the buttonhole

• Always test first on a scrap with the same layers: fabric, interfacing and fabric. Check that the button passes through.
• Use a new needle and all-purpose polyester thread in the top and the bobbin.
• Keep the fabric straight and let the machine feed it. Pulling or pushing makes the sides uneven.
• On thick or bumpy areas, such as next to a seam, place a scrap of the same thickness under the back of the foot so it stays level.

4. Open the buttonhole

1. Dab a little fray stopper or clear seam sealant in the middle and let it dry. This keeps the cut edges clean.
2. Put a pin across one end, just inside the bar tack.
3. Push the seam ripper in at the other end and cut towards the pin. A small buttonhole chisel on a cutting mat gives an even cleaner cut.
4. Trim any loose fibres with small scissors.

5. Mark and sew the buttons

Close the garment, lining up the centre fronts (or the edges for a waistband), and push a pin or a chalk pencil through each buttonhole to mark the button position. For vertical buttonholes, mark the middle of the hole. For horizontal ones, mark the end nearest the edge.

1. Use a double thread with a knot, and take a small stitch on the right side at the mark.
2. Place a toothpick or a pin on top of the button, between the holes, and sew over it through the holes 5 or 6 times.
3. Remove the toothpick, lift the button, and wind the thread tightly around the stitches under it 4 or 5 times. This is the thread shank: it leaves room for the fabric of the buttonhole so the button does not pull.
4. Finish on the wrong side with a few small stitches and a knot.

Thick coat fabric? Make a longer shank, or add a small flat button on the inside behind the main one to take the strain.

Troubleshooting

How to practise

Sew five or six buttonholes on an interfaced scrap before your garment. A vest or a jacket with a few large buttons is an easy first project; a shirt with a full button band comes next. Find both among our free tops and shirt patterns and jacket patterns.

Questions

Buttonholes done? Explore more sewing tutorials.