Sewing buttons by hand

It seems mums are not passing on the skills of how to sew a button.  So here is the quick and easy way.  First you need a needle and some thread.  Try to use a colour close to the colour of the garment.  For example if the garment is black, don’t use white cotton.  Try for black cotton.  Pull the cotton off the reel extending one arm length.  Then grab hold of the cotton NEAR THE COTTON REEL and pull out for another arm length.  So this means you have a very very long piece of cotton.  Now fold it in two.  Put the loose ends together and lick them so they join together.  Push BOTH cotton threads through the eye of the needle.  Now double the thread in the needle so that you have FOUR threads.  Roll the cotton at the end over your index finger and pull it through on itself to create a knot at the end.

I put the knot under the button rather than on the wrong side.  So push the needle in to the top of the garment and push the needle through to the wrong side.  Get your button and put it over the knot. and push the needle back to the right side and through one of the holes in the button.  Then push it through the second hole and back to the wrong side.  Do this twice.  Bring the needle up from the wrong side, but do not push it through the hole in the button.  Take it to the side on the right side and make a loop in the cotton and push the needle through the loop to lock off.  Do this twice so the button won’t fall off again.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie