Sew On a Button

Step by step

Tick each step as you go if you like; ticks stay on this device.

1. Thread a double strandCut about 16 to 18 inches of thread, double it through the needle, and knot the ends together.
2. Find the spotLook for the old thread marks, or button the garment and mark where the button should sit.
3. Start from the backPush the needle up from the wrong side and through one hole of the button. The knot stays hidden underneath.
4. Add a spacerLay a toothpick or pin across the top of the button, between the holes. Sew over it so the stitches stay a little loose.
5. Stitch about six timesFor a 2-hole button, go up and down through the two holes about six times. For a 4-hole button, make an X or two parallel bars.
6. Wrap the shankTake out the toothpick and bring the needle up between the button and the fabric. Wind the thread around the stitches under the button three or four times.
7. Lock itPush the needle to the back and take a few small stitches or knots there. Trim the thread.
8. Shank buttonsIf the button has a loop on the back, sew through that loop and the fabric about six times. No toothpick needed. Then knot it off on the back.

Tips

• Look inside the garment, at a seam or the hem, for a spare button.
• On coats, sew a small flat button on the inside behind the main one for extra strength.
• Fix a loose button right away, and check the others while you're at it.

If something goes wrong

See it in the old books

Pictures and lessons from sewing and knitting books published more than a hundred years ago, free at the Internet Archive.

• 📖 Sewing for Little Girls: 'The way to sew on a button' picture (1911) ↗

Sources

• UF/IFAS Extension: Life Skills in a Minute, Sewing on a Button
• Univ. of Kentucky CT-MMB.189: Buttons and Buttonholes
• Oklahoma 4-H: Sample Technique Cards (buttons)
• UT Extension 4-H: Repair Your Clothes