Choosing and sewing on buttons – and what works when you have none

Start with the buttonhole, not the button. The rule of thumb: buttonhole = diameter + thickness of the button. So a flat 15 mm button needs a buttonhole of about 17–18 mm, a thick or domed one a bit more. If the hole is already there, choose a button that just fits through.

• Two-hole buttons are simple and work almost anywhere.
• Four-hole buttons hold a little more firmly, good for spots under strain.
• Shank buttons have a loop on the back instead of holes and stand off the fabric by themselves.

Mind the weight, too: heavy buttons drag light fabrics down. Jersey or thin cotton goes best with light, flat buttons.

Lay both pieces on top of each other as if closed and mark through the buttonhole with a pin or chalk: for a horizontal buttonhole at the end towards the edge, for a vertical one just below the top end. That's where the centre of the button goes.

Then sew it on:

• Use a double thread, knot it and come up from the back to the front.
• Lay a matchstick or toothpick across the button between the holes and sew over it, four to six times through each hole.
• Pull out the spacer, lift the button and wrap the thread firmly around the stitches underneath a few times. That's the thread shank.
• Take the needle to the back and knot it there.

With four-hole buttons you have a choice: two parallel bars or a cross. Both hold well. The only important thing is that all buttons on one garment look the same.

Shank buttons are sewn on through the shank. They don't need an extra thread shank, the loop does that job. Line it up so it runs lengthwise along the buttonhole.

On thin or stretchy fabrics a button easily tears a hole. Sew a small, flat backing button on the wrong side at the same time, simply stitching through both buttons. Or fuse a small piece of interfacing behind the spot first, see Fusible interfacing: which one for what?.

You don't need to buy anything for a fastening. These work with what you have:

• Twig toggle: a dry piece of twig, about 3–4 cm long, ends sanded smooth, sewn on in the middle. Add a fabric loop instead of a buttonhole. A wooden bead works the same way.
• Felt or leather disc: cut a circle, punch two holes, done.
• Fabric button: gather a fabric circle around a coin-sized cardboard disc, as in the last step.
• Knot button: tie a firm ball knot from a narrow fabric tube, plus a loop. Sew the tube from a bias strip, see Make your own bias binding.
• Ties, or a sew-on snap.

Stay away from bottle caps and anything with sharp edges: they wear through thread and fabric and can rust in the wash.

Plain buttons from the tin turn into something special with little effort:

• Paint them with acrylic paint or nail polish, then seal with clear varnish. Let everything cure well, ideally overnight or longer. Try it on one button first.
• Rhinestones: glue small rhinestones to the rim with fabric glue. This is only for decorative buttons that aren't done up and undone all the time. Wash those garments by hand.
• Wrap with embroidery thread: wrap shank buttons or an old ring tightly with embroidery thread and stitch the end down.

Whatever you do: the holes or the shank must stay free, otherwise the needle won't get through any more.

This turns a boring button or a cardboard disc into a fabric button that matches your garment exactly:

• Cut a fabric circle twice the diameter of the button.
• Sew a running stitch all around with a double thread, about 3–4 mm from the edge.
• Place the button or cardboard disc in the centre on the wrong side of the fabric and pull the thread until the fabric gathers at the back.
• Close it with a few stitches back and forth across the gathers and knot it.

Sew it on through the gathers at the back, with a thread shank as in step 2.