Sewing on buttons / Sewing buttonholes

Dear users, dear authors,
Do you have any tips and tricks for sewing on buttons and making buttonholes?

There are so many different types of buttonholes—in fact, every garment that needs buttons has a suitable buttonhole. The buttonholes on bedding are simple and have a straight bar tack at the top and bottom; on blouses and shirts, the buttonhole is similar, just not as large, and is usually made by machine. It’s a different story with jackets and coats that button up; these are very often sewn by hand with special buttonhole thread because it simply looks better. These are often what are called keyhole buttonholes, which have a so-called “eye” on the open side toward the coat edge, i.e. a rounded area where the button can sit and thus prevent the coat from opening.
In traditional folk fashion, so-called piped buttonholes are very common in jackets or coats, since these pieces are often made from boiled wool, etc.
I HATE PIPED BUTTONHOLES!!! :-)))) They’re a pain to sew; my daughter just laughs about it—she sewed herself a two-piece dress for her journeyman’s piece, covered from top to bottom with piped buttonholes. They can be sewn by hand as well as with a sewing machine.
Hmm, sewing on buttons is a science in itself; I saw quite a few things back when I still had my alteration shop. Even otherwise capable housewives came to me to have a button sewn on. Some already had the button on the garment, but it couldn’t be buttoned because they had sewn it down instead of sewing it on :-)
Even though I have an automatic button-sewing function on my sewing machine, I prefer to sew buttons on by hand because they simply hold better and more securely. That way, if you pull on a thread that might be sticking out, the button won’t fall off, because it was sewn on properly.
Shirt or blouse buttons can be sewn on quite normally, but for coats and jackets, a shank is often desired. You can make this shank by not pulling the first thread all the way through, leaving a little standing, and then wrapping the thread around this *little shank* every now and then; this gives you a nice button shank. If you’re not very good at it, you can slide a toothpick or matchstick under the button to help until the button is sewn on. That way, you don’t have to balance it until the little shank sits as it should.

Best regards, Inge

Buttons are really tricky.

So you used to run an alteration shop?

Yeah, for about four years—the recession in 1993 really put an end to my business. I can understand why, though, because back then, around 40,000 people were laid off in Schweinfurt, so there just wasn’t any money left for things you didn’t really need. After that, I hardly had any time to do anything else. First, I took care of my mother-in-law until she passed away, then I helped my mother care for my father, who had Alzheimer’s. After that, I checked myself into the hospital because I was completely at the end of my rope. That’s when my husband put his foot down and said, “Enough with playing the family caregiver—think about yourself for once, and remember, I’m still here, too.” Because by then, the first grandchildren were already being born, and each daughter was crying out to her mom for help—especially since neither of them lived here at the time, but about 170 km away, and I didn’t have a driver’s license. I became a grandma twice within 7 months :-) Both boys are now grown up and established in their careers and lives.

Love, Inge

wow

I think Inge could even write a book about her life—it would certainly be a fascinating read. Plus, she’s obviously the sewing expert here on the forum. Thank you for your detailed information. I’ve learned something new again.

Best regards, Ina

Oh yes, Ina, that would be a TV bestseller ;-) :-) My life has had quite a few highs but also some of the deepest lows up until now—and all of that in the first 30 years of my life. Things only started looking up for me when I met and fell in love with my second husband. All of that has made me the person I am today. I also didn’t complete my apprenticeship as a seamstress until I was in my mid-30s :-)

Kind regards, Inge