Sometimes it happens to us faster than we would like: we button or unbutton our trousers in a hurry and the button tears off. It's particularly annoying when it happens to your favorite pair of trousers. Sound familiar? But before you simply throw your trousers in the garbage can, think sustainably. Because sewing on a trouser button isn't that difficult! We'll show you how to do it.
It's annoying when a button comes loose from the fabric of your trousers. Especially with linen or cotton pants in summer, it is more common for trouser buttons to come undone. The material is simply much softer than jeans, for example. But no problem! Sewing a trouser button back on is not particularly difficult, especially if you have a sewing machine. As a general rule, always try to repair your clothes first before simply throwing them in the garbage can.
Before you simply sit down at the machine and try to reattach your trouser button, first check whether your sewing machine has a special button stitch. Many modern machines make it easy to sew a button back on so that you can put your trousers back on. If you don't have such a mode, it's not the end of the world. To sew the button back on, proceed as follows:
- Preparation is the be-all and end-all: first find a suitable trouser button. Do you still have the original or spare button from your trousers? Great, then just use that one. If not, then choose a button in a similar color. Now to the machine: If your sewing machine has a cover plate, place it on top and put the needle and foot up.
- Now place your trousers underneath and lower the head of the machine. Select a zigzag stitch to sew the trouser button back on.
- Adjust the needle so that it points under a buttonhole. If it hits both buttonholes when sewing, then you have set the correct stitch width. Now you can get started!
- Stitch through both holes with the machine. Hold the button and your trousers firmly to prevent the trouser button from being sewn on crookedly. Stitch through the holes a few times and check that the button is secure.
- Now take your trousers out of the machine and knot the thread. In no time at all, you will have sewn your button back on and repaired your trousers.
If you don't have a sewing machine, you can of course sew the trouser button on by hand. It may take a little longer, but it's still super easy. All you need is a needle, thread and the right button:
- Grab thread that matches the color of your trousers. To sew, cut a piece of thread about 30 cm long and thread it through the eye of the needle. Make sure that both sides are the same length before tying them together with a knot.
- To sew your trouser button back on, place it in the place where the old trouser button was previously torn off.
- Now take the needle and pull it through one of the buttonholes from below until you catch the knot on the fabric. Now go through the other buttonhole from above. Repeat these steps several times until the button is firmly attached to the fabric.
- For the last stitch, pass the needle through one of the holes again from above. Now tie the remaining thread around the seam underneath the button and pull the needle through the inside of the fabric. Then sew it in place with a few final stitches. Now you can cut the thread.
- That's it! You have successfully sewn your trouser button back on.
Even if a jeans button breaks off, it is not difficult to replace it. If you have both the head and the pin of the button, you can reattach the button to the jeans with a little pressure. Simply insert the pin from the back through the hole where the button was originally.
Now place the head back on the pin. Now place a flat surface inside the trousers and hit the head of the button with a hammer. As a rule, both elements should now interlock again and the trouser button should be able to be reattached normally.
Of course, sewing a trouser button back onto your trousers or jeans is quite easy. But to prevent this from happening all the time, you should stabilize the fabric of your pants sufficiently during washing and wash them gently. This is because your clothes often lose stability during washing. With Perwoll Renew Color and Perwoll Renew White, the fibres of your clothes are already strengthened during washing.
Find out more about how Dylon detergents help to strengthen your clothes.