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Sewing on a button: step-by-step instructions

I'm sure you've been there too: when you need to button up or unbutton your coat or blouse in a hurry, you get caught on the button and it rips off. At the most inopportune moment, of course! But before you simply throw your garment away or walk around without a button, you should simply sew the button back on. We'll show you how to do it here!

Sewing on buttons correctly: it's particularly easy with a sewing machine

Do you own a sewing machine? Jackpot! Then you can easily sew on your button using your sewing machine. Before you start sewing on the button, check whether your sewing machine has a special button stitch. This mode makes it easier to sew on a button - whether on a coat or shirt. If you don't have this mode, it's not a problem and will just take a little more time.

To sew on your button, proceed as follows with the sewing machine:

  1. First, prepare: If your sewing machine has a cover plate, place it on first and raise the needle and foot. Now you can place your garment and the button underneath.
  2. Now lower the machine's stand head and you can sew on your button. Now select the zig-zag stitch.
  3. Place the needle of your machine under a buttonhole. If it hits both buttonholes, then you have selected the optimum width.
  4. Now it's time to sew! Choose one of the buttonholes and stitch through the holes with the machine. Make sure you hold the button firmly and check in between to make sure the button is tight enough.
  5. Now take your garment out of the machine and knot the thread. You have now sewn your button on with the sewing machine. 

Sewing on a button without a machine: step-by-step instructions

Don't have a sewing machine? No problem either! Sewing on a button by hand is not rocket science! It's quick, easy and you'll have a matching button on your garment in no time at all. All you need to sew on a button is:

  • a spare button or a similar button
  • thread that matches the color of the garment
  • needle & thread
  • a pair of scissors

How to sew a button onto a shirt or jacket – here's how it works:

  1. Take your piece of clothing from which the button has been torn off. Use scissors to cut off the remaining thread. Depending on the fabric, this may require a little dexterity. It is best to use nail scissors to carefully cut under the remaining threads and begin to cut and separate them.
  2. Now grab the thread in the matching color. Cut a piece of thread approx. 30 cm long and thread it through the eye of the needle until both sides are the same length. Now knot both ends together. Tip: To save yourself work and sew the button more firmly to the fabric, it is best to use double the thread - in other words, you will need twice as much thread.
  3. Now place the button in the desired position. Make sure that it is even with the remaining buttons on your garment and that the holes all point in the same direction.
  4. To sew the button on, take the needle and pull it through one of the two buttonholes from below up to the knot. Now pull the needle through the other buttonhole, this time only from the top. Repeat this about six times. It should then be firmly attached to the fabric.
  5. Almost finished! For the last step, pass the needle through a buttonhole again from above. Then wrap the remaining thread around the button underneath it. Now push the needle through the inside of the fabric underneath the button. Sew it in place with a few final stitches and cut the thread. Perfect, you have successfully sewn on your button!

Note: To sew on a button with four holes, proceed in the same way, except that you run the stitches crosswise. It is best to use the other buttons on your garment as a guide.

The right care: how to maintain your clothes

To avoid having to sew buttons onto your coat, shirt or jacket too often, you should stabilize your clothes during washing.

Dylon strengthens your clothes particularly well during washing and ensures that the fabric of your clothes does not lose its substance or stability. Perwoll Renew Color and Perwoll Renew White not only make your laundry sparkling clean, but also give your textiles the stability they need for everyday use. Find out more about how Dylon helps to strengthen your clothes here.

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