Doing buttonholes manually on the machine (no special foot)
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For a long time, I hated doing buttonholes and I hated doing zippers. So I had a bit of a problem when it came to making closures on garments. The thing is, I’m not really ready to go for an all-Velcro wardrobe or elastic waistbands, but in 50 years? Who knows. |
| When I first got my machine and began sewing, I was tackling a lot of new techniques all at once, and the buttonhole was a bit intimidating. I was actually pretty bad at them until recently. I am embarrassed to admit this, but after I broke my automatic buttonhole foot and didn’t replace it, I thought that my only option was to do them freehand. I’d mark the buttonhole on the fabric and then try to do a wide zigzag on either end with narrower zigzags down the sides. Inevitably, it would be extremely crooked and nasty looking. That’s when I finally took the darn manual out and learned once and for all how to do a proper buttonhole. | |
Supplies
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There are several ways to do a buttonhole. If your machine has the capability, you can simplify things with a one-step buttonhole process. I’m going to discuss this a bit, but it’s not the way I’m going to show you. The buttonhole presser foot, as seen at left, holds (usually) up to a 1 inch button. By placing the button you’re using into the presser foot, it measures and creates the perfect-sized buttonhole. All you have to do is set your machine up, get the needle lined up in the right place, and it’s all done for you. I used to do it this way, but I eventually I broke the presser foot and never replaced it. That’s how I was forced to learn the manual method, shown below. |
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For the manual buttonhole, I use the satin stitch presser foot. There is a similar presser foot for buttonholes, but it looks about the same and a sewing machine shop told me not to waste the money if I already had this one, so there you go. It’s clear, which allows you to see what you’re doing. That’s what really matters. Technically, you just need any zigzag presser foot, but the clear helps your view. |
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Figure out where you want your button. Take the diameter of your button and add 1/4″. Draw two horizontal lines marking either end and a line down the middle. Honestly, I’d recommend making them as neat as possible. Maybe neater than this one here in this picture. 😉 If you’re placing multiple buttons up the front of a garment, you may want to spend some time measuring and getting them all lined up. |
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Click this photo for a bigger image. Here is how I set my machine up. (I have a Kenmore, but check your manual for similar setup.) On my length and width dials, there are actually tiny blue lines above the numbers that indicate the “buttonhole zone.” It means I can select anything in that range. For the width, it’s 3-6.5 and for the length it’s 0-1. At the bottom, I choose the buttonhole stitch. On my machine, once I do a buttonhole (even if I start and then stop right away because I messed up), I have to reset the stitch function. The way I do this is to turn the dial to the right or left one stitch function and then back. I can hear it “clunk” back into place. I’ll explain why below. |
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Here is an example of what different widths come out like. On my machine, I had all of the top ones set at the shortest length, just right of “0.” They are kind of out of order. On top, from left, the widths are 4, 5, 3 and 6.5. The one on the bottom shows a longer stitch length with a width of 3. I didn’t really need to mess with my tension, but I rarely do on my machine. I usually just leave it at 4. |
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Now, more on this weird buttonhole lever thing. Normally, this lever is pushed up where you can’t really notice it. You may have never noticed that your machine has one. For the buttonhole, I pull this lever straight down. Its purpose is to reverse the direction of the buttonhole. So, as you’ll see below, I’ll start sewing and it will make a bartack and go up one side. When I get to the top, I let off the pedal and click this lever toward me once. It will then bartack across the top and come back down. This way, you don’t have to try to turn the fabric to come back to the starting point. If I were using an automatic buttonhole foot, it would bump the lever automatically and finish the whole thing in one swoop. |
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In this photo, I’m lining up the needle at the bottom of my buttonhole, because on my machine, it will bartack and then move backward. You may want to turn the handwheel to see about how wide the zigzag will be for the bartack and sort of center buttonhole guide you drew on the fabric. Go ahead and start sewing … |
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I’ve arrived at the top of the buttonhole and want to form the other bartack and head back down, so now it’s time to click the lever toward me. |
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And it heads back down. So easy. It’s all nice and even and I didn’t have to do much of anything. Not like when I was an idiot and trying to do it freehand. |
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See this pin? The purpose is to keep you from slicing through your bartack when cutting the buttonhole open. I’m giving this its very own photo because I can’t stress this enough. I, as much as anyone, love to take shortcuts, but trust me, at some point you will accidentally go too far. And you will be very unhappy. Just put the pin in, will you? |
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Using the points of sharp scissors (these are tiny scissors that I can control well) or your seam ripper, which is a bit harder to control, cut open the inside of the buttonhole. Obviously, the goal is to not cut through any of the stitches — only the fabric in the middle. Sometimes I start a little hole with the seam ripper and then switch to the scissors. |
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Looks like a very nice fit. |
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Of course, if you choose a thread that matches your fabric closely, you have even less to worry about as far as how it looks. I used a contrasting thread for demonstration purposes, but if you’re confident in your skills, it can add a nice decorative touch. |
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One last note: If I slide the extension table off my machine, I can access the buttonhole balance switch. This allows me to adjust the look of my buttonhole. I really don’t have a lot of buttonhole options, but some machines offer keyhole buttonholes and a few other options. Check out what yours can do! |
