How to Sew on a Button With Two Holes

Sewing buttons is one of the fundamental skills every seamstress should master, whether sewing for yourself or to repair someone else’s garments. It is simple and practical – an invaluable skill.

Start by marking where you would like the button to go and pushing a needle through fabric and into its back hole.

Hand Sewing

When sewing buttons by hand it’s essential to use strong thread that won’t fray easily. Tailors typically employ polyester or nylon thread which has proven its durability against regular wear and tear.

First, line up your needle and thread with the button, push through fabric and button before wrapping the thread around the button several times to secure it. Next, make some stitches below the button so it doesn’t unbutton itself in future.

If using a two hole button, this step must be repeated with its opposite hole. When working with four hole buttons, thread will need to be wrapped around two of their holes as well as fabric in order to form what is known as a shank.

For added safety when sewing buttons onto thick garments such as jackets or coats, consider including a spacer between the button and fabric so as to be able to button your garment without straining either its buttons or fabric. This allows for effortless buttoning without too much strain being put on either.

Machine Sewing

Sewing machines make sewing faster and stronger when applied to stretchy fabrics, such as buttons. Choose a thread color that complements both your button and fabric as well as thick enough thread for the task at hand, along with either a special button sew-on foot (good choice for most buttons) or the blue standard machine foot for optimal results.

Thread and knot both ends of your needle before marking where you would like your button to go with a straight pin, pencil, or fabric marking pen. Stitch a small “x” there using your threaded needle before placing the button over it diagonally from one of its holes – diagonal from where you just passed through one hole to another hole diagonally from where you just came up through another one of its holes.

As you stitch around the button, forming a little shank as you do so, pull on it periodically to test whether its thread shank is strong enough.

If it doesn’t fit quite right, add more stitches and do additional wrapping before tying together both thread tails to secure the shank and cutting off any extra material.

Double Stitching

Optional step. However, double stitching your button may give it extra durability against wear and tear – especially on shirts. To do this, pierce fabric from behind using one of the holes in your button before stitching across twice with extra strong thread – giving your thread added strength so it doesn’t come undone later on.

To make this process simpler, use a needle with a slimmer tip and thicker thread so the thread won’t slip through as easily. Also be sure to tie a knot at the end that leaves enough thread tail for you to sew onto your button once finished sewing it on.

Before threading through for the second time, insert a spacer such as a toothpick, pin, or small stick into each hole in order to prevent it from closing over and weakening your thread. Push your needle through this second hole through fabric then back through button again creating square or x patterned stitches forming shanks of your button which make it stronger and less likely to come loose from being sewn onto clothing; this step is particularly essential if sewing on large buttons for winter jackets for example.

Embroidery

Sewing on buttons is an incredibly valuable skill to gain, requiring only minimal equipment and advanced sewing expertise to execute properly.

Your embroidery projects may have any number of purposes, from showing a person’s membership in an organization to rank or team preference or simply decorative purposes. Clothing is the most frequently embroidered item but you could also personalize bags, hats and home decor pieces as well.

Start by threading your needle. If desired, double over your thread for added strength and easier knotting. Push it through both button and fabric from back to front before adding a spacer – such as a pin, toothpick, or small stick between first and second holes on button to prevent thread from being pulled too tight.

Push a needle from the underside of the garment up through one of the holes on a button, pulling thread all the way through until it snugly rests against fabric on both sides. If a button falls off, this method can help reattach it.

Repeat these steps to stitch through each pair of holes on either side. When finished stitching through all pairs of holes, tie off your thread using two or three small knots on the right side of fabric and trim off any excess.