Chapter 32 - Buttons, Buttonholes, Fastenings

Mark place for buttons, buttonholes, fastenings, hooks, snaps, etc., very carefully. Use a cardboard gauge, and run a line of basting through where the centers of the fastenings will be. Use heavy thread except on very sheer fabrics. Linen thread is good for especially hard wear. Snaps, hooks and eyes, and two- or four-hole buttons are sewed easily on a zigzag machine, or may be sewed by hand as follows:

Snaps are sewed through the four holes with over and over stitches. Fasten thread on under side with backstitches. Mark the spots for the matched pairs. For a series of snaps, carry thread under garment from one snap to the next.

Hooks and eyes: Use overhand stitches under hook and around loops at base of hook. Overhand loops of eyelet. To make a worked loop for the hook, make two or three vertical stitches and work blanket stitches over, as in the belt carrier (pp. 156, 175-177).

Lingerie straps: Sew a short piece of ribbon to shoulder seam. At the other end attach a snap fastener with other half of pair sewed on to seam to dress. Or work a thread strap with heavy thread. Catch thread in shoulder seam and run needle through hole of snap fastener, about ¾ inch away from stitching at shoulder. Make several stitches like this to desired size and work over thread with blanket stitches. Sew other part of snap to seam.

Weights: Enclose weighted tape in a narrow hem, tacking tape through hem at beginning and end so it does not get out of place. Round weights may be covered with a piece of fabric a little larger than the weight. Gather edges over weight and sew edges securely together. Or, sew weight inside a little square pocket of fabric. Sew weight to garment with French tack (pp. 74, 156), or with dressmaker's chain-stitched tack, a series of chain stitches connecting two pieces of material. Another way is to let weight hang, attached to cloth with chain-stitching. This is used at seams and hems of tailored coats and jackets, for curtains and draperies, and for special details with soft materials.

Fabric loops: Sew a bias strip folded lengthwise, right sides together. Trim seam and turn right side out by attaching the end to a bodkin or small safety pin, or by sewing several overhand stitches with needle and strong thread at one end, drawing needle through and pulling strip after needle. Cut tubing into desired equal lengths. Apply it in a circle or in a U shape. Space carefully and sew ends in place by hand. Where garment is faced, apply loops between garment and facing. Stitch through all thicknesses securely. Fancy cord, bought at notion counters, can be used in same way. Fabric loops make attractive decorative edgings and can be used purely for decoration and also as a button fastening.

Corded fabric loops: Insert cord between edges of strip near lengthwise fold. Cord is twice as long as strip. Catch cord at middle to one end of the strip, folded in a little. Stitch close to cord with cording foot, making beginning and end of tube wider. Trim seam, turn right side out by pulling cord. Tube will turn onto uncovered part of cord. Or, sew a casing over fine cord. Cut heavy cable cord the length desired, push edge into casing, and catch the two cords together through the fabric, a short distance from end. Pull the smaller cord at other end to turn casing right side out over the heavy cord. Make loop as above, or apply in continuous loops without cutting into strips. These loops are firmer and heavier than plain fabric loops. Good for soft and lightweight fabrics.

Frogs: Frogs are decorative closings which match or contrast with garment to give interesting and dramatic effect. Decide on your design first, trace it on paper, and sew tubing on the tracing. Tear paper away. Fasten tubing or covered cord in desired shapes with whipstitches.

Buttons: Buttons may be made of plastic, wood, pearl, metal, glass, bone, braid, etc. Type chosen depends on style of garment, taste of the wearer, and amount of emphasis to be given to the button. Self-covered buttons are made over a mold and are good for tailored clothes and for inconspicuous finish. Select carefully. Proper size and color are important. Be sure buttons are washable if they are to be put on washable garments. To sew buttons on, start with a knot, sew button on over a pin, remove the pin, and wind the thread around the stem several times. Fasten off on wrong side. Where garment is unlined, sew the button onto the right side with a small button on the wrong side underneath. Sew over a pin as above. Where you cannot sew over a pin, allow for a stem in sewing on button. For a longer stem sew over a match.

Linked buttons: Watch spacing between buttons. Pass thread back and forth between buttons and work over with blanket stitches. These work like cuff links.

Covered buttons: Cut a circle about twice as wide as button and run line of gathers around edge. Insert button and pull up gathers to fit tightly. Secure thread ends securely. Cut out small circle to cover back. Turn in edges and overhand in place, not too tightly. These covered buttons may be decorated with stitches going over button and under through hole, vertically, diagonally or horizontally. Sewing centers will also cover buttons.

Covered buckles: Buy a buckle mold, trace it on fabric, cut out cloth a little larger for a seam allowance, catch stitch in back over buckle. Cut out backing piece and overcast in place to front piece or glue down. Center part is covered when buckle is attached to belt, tongue worked through an eyelet.

Buttonholes: Decide on spacing for buttons and mark buttonhole for each button with a pin. Use a gauge for perfect spacing between buttons, run a basting line to mark center of buttonhole. The size for a flat button is usually the diameter of the button plus its thickness. It is a good idea to try out sample buttonhole first, especially for unusual button shapes. Mark the length of buttonhole with chalk.
 
Worked buttonholes: Slash along chalk line marking length of buttonhole from center to each side. Use a long double thread with a knot and insert needle on right side of the fabric at the right side of the buttonhole and about ½ inch above it. Bring the needle out underneath the slash at the extreme right.
 
Overcast the edges to prevent raveling, then work over with buttonhole stitch from right to left. Insert needle under slash and out below through loop of thread, which is drawn up to form a purl along edge. Stitches must be of even length and an equal distance apart. At edges, work a bar and blanket stitch over, or flare one edge with radiating stitches. When finished, cut off knot and the extra ½ inch of thread you started with. Used in men's clothing, children's garments, work clothes, wash garments. For women's clothes, use bound or piped buttonholes.

Tailored buttonholes: Mark the buttonhole and punch an eyelet at one end with a stiletto. Slash, overcast, and buttonhole stitch. Used for tailored clothes and men's garments.

Eyelets: Punch a hole with a stiletto or cut out a small round piece. Overcast edges and buttonhole stitch. A series of eyelets are sometimes worked along edges and then laced, as in peasant types of clothes. Very often used to bring a drawstring through a casing.
 
Bound buttonholes: Mark place for opening. Cut out an extra piece of fabric, l½ inches wide and one inch longer than buttonhole when finished. Place right side down and baste through center over marking underneath. Do this very exactly. Stitch a box around line, ⅛ inch above and below center line. Cut through center to within ¼ inch on ends, then diagonally to corners. Turn binding through to wrong side, forming two little pleats that meet exactly in center on right side. Secure with diagonal basting. On wrong side arrange pleats at the corners and stitch through ends catching in the little triangles. On the right side outline buttonhole through original seam with tiny, invisible stitches. Facing is then turned over back of buttonhole, slashed, and overcast to position over buttonhole. Bound buttonholes are attractive and decorative. They are not good for garments that are frequently washed.

Piped buttonholes: Cut two lengthwise or bias strips, fold lengthwise, and stitch ¼ inch from fold. Cut ½ inch from stitching. Accuracy is very important. Cut into strips ½ inch longer than opening. Place two strips so that the raw edges meet on the marked line for buttonhole. Stitch right through first line of stitching and backtrack ends. Slit on marking between strips and diagonally to ends of stitching. Turn strips to wrong side, diagonal baste them together on right sides. On wrong side, stitch across ends, catching piping to triangle bases. Turn facing over, slit, and overcast to place. Used like bound buttonholes but particularly good for heavy wools.

Corded buttonholes: Sew cord in bias strips with cording foot and proceed as for piped buttonholes. Cording is used for firmness, emphasis, and decoration.

Bound buttonholes without facings: After buttonhole is complete, turn under the raw edges on the wrong side and hem.

Buttonholer: Machine attachment which makes worked buttonholes. Buttonhole is slit after stitching is done with sharp scissors or a razor.

Tape bound buttonholes: Good to make bound buttonholes for children's wear, and decorative for other garments if contrasting binding is used. They can also be used for underwear. Mark place for buttonholes and measure between marks. Cut a strip of material as wide as your measurement and bind both long edges. The strip should be longer than the number of buttonholes multiplied by their width. Use machine binder for speed.

Cut into sections, each one ½ inch to ⅝ inch wider than button. Turn the sections so that the bound edges meet, baste them together on paper, if desired, and stitch down the outside both long ends. Bind one long edge, then bind other edge together with edge of garment.

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