How to sew a button onto a cushion or pillow

 

022If you don’t sew cushion buttons on correctly, they’ll pop off before long. But it’s really not too tricky to sew on a button securely. You’ll need a few supplies — easily found in craft/sewing stores: thick, waxed upholstery thread and long upholstery needles. This technique is nice because you only pass through the actual pillow one time when sewing on the buttons.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies

Waxed upholstery string
Waxed upholstery string
Shank buttons
Shank buttons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long needles
Long needles
Kahala Coast Brown
Kahala Coast Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Process

 

010

Before you start, mark on the front and back of the pillow where your buttons will go.

013

Cut a length of waxed string about 2 feet long. Fold it in half and thread the looped end through the button shank.

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See that loop? Pass the button through it.

015

It will look like this.

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Thread both ends of the thread through the big needle.

017

Push the needle through the dot on your pillow (note: I pushed mine through the front of my pillow, which is only discernible because of the centered pattern, whereas the back isn’t “fussy cut.” I just wanted to do my tying on the back of the pillow.)

018

You might have to poke around a bit to make the needle come out at the back dot. When it does, pull it through.

019

Take the thread off of the needle and thread it different directions through the button shank (from outside to inside).

020

Pull the ends of the thread in opposite directions, which will tighten the buttons.

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When you get them pulled in to the depth you want them, wrap each end around the button shank a few times then tie TWICE as shown above, making a knot.

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Wrap the ends a few more times around the shank and trim.

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