3 Different People When Sewing On a Button

At Hangers Cleaners dry cleaners, we’ve seen it all. A beautiful blouse sidelined because of one measly button. Your favorite pair of overalls have gotten too much character and now need a button before you can wear them again. It happens.

You’ve got a stack of garments waiting for you to sew buttons back on. You just haven’t found a good day for sewing.  If you found this blog, today is probably that day.

Here are three different ways beginners approach sewing on a button to help you determine what kind of tutorial you should follow. Which one sounds like you? — Or is it you right now.

1. The Optimist.

You’ve never sewn on a button. That isn’t stopping you from going into this journey thinking it’ll be pretty self-explanatory. Kudos for your confidence.

When you finish sewing the button, give it a double take. How secure is it? How does it look? If all is well, you are good to go.

Find a tutorial with good photos you can skim if you get stuck. Or .gif illustrations, like this one.

2. The Engineer.

The button that held your garment together while you were wearing said garment no longer serves its purpose. To solve this problem, anything that will take up that responsibility will do.

Let’s say you originally replaced the button using a safety or bobby pin. Now you are back to square one because a close friend or relative mentioned that, yes, it works, but it’s not a great look.

There are a few basic rules for getting the button functioning properly and stay that way. Find a tutorial that explains the reasons behind these rules. Like this one.

3. The Perfectionist.

Has the heap of clothing you can’t wear because the items need buttons has grown beyond your ability to store it? You are delaying the task because you know sewing is considered some kind of ancient trade and you don’t want to dishonor your family legacy by not doing a good job.

If anyone points out your small mistakes — including your inner critic, reach into your fun-facts-that-will-also-be-good-comebacks folder and bring out this bad boy:

As a sewing tradition, Amish seamstresses always make at least one mistake when sewing a quilt. Only God can be perfect.

To find the best tutorial determine what kind of button you have to sew on. Here are 14 different types.

Sewing on a patch or mending a tear?

This can get more complicated. If you are willing to do the work it takes to mend the garment, it is probably valuable to you. Research the fabric, find a few different tutorials dealing with your same problem. Seeing more than one will help you make the best decisions for your garment.