How to Hand-Sew a Buttonhole
- 1). Measure the size of your button and add 1/8-inch to the measurement. This will be the size of your buttonhole opening.
- 2). Mark the buttonholes about 1/2-inch away from the edge of the fabric. This is an estimate and will vary based on where your buttons are.
- 3). Snip the buttonholes.
- 4). Thread your needle.
- 5). Push the needle through a bottom corner of the buttonhole.
- 6). Baste all around the buttonhole on all four sides.
- 7). Once all around, use the oversew stitch closely all around the edge. Push the needle through the bottom of the fabric, and pull the thread over the raw edge. Once there, move the needle about 1/8-inch into the fabric and push the needle up through the bottom.
- 8). Repeat this several times until you have used the oversewing stitch around the entire buttonhole.
- 9). Stab stitch across the one of the narrow edges of the buttonhole by pushing the needle up through one corner, passing the thread over the narrow edge of the buttonhole and pushing the needle down through the other corner of the narrow edge. Do this three or four times.
- 10
Repeat step 9 with the buttonhole's other narrow edge. - 11
Tie off the thread.
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