How to Stitch Up a Buttonhole

Bound buttonholes are generally sewn into blazers and jackets to give them a polished look. Bound buttonholes are best suited for an experienced seamstress. Practice making oversized buttonholes before you attempt the real thing. Use coordinating fabrics to give the buttonhole a trendy flare, or use the same material for a classic look.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Scissors
• Fabric pen or pencil

1. Lay the fabric on the work surface with the wrong side up. Mark the placement of the buttonhole with a fabric marker, or baste it with a sewing machine.

2. Cut a swatch of fabric that is 2 inches wider and 1 inch longer than the size of the completed bound buttonhole. Place the swatch and the jacket fabric with right sides facing. Sew a basting stitch down the center of the fabric swatch, extending the stitch by 1/2 inch on either side of the swatch.

3. Use a fabric pen to sketch lines 1/8 inch around the entire buttonhole.

4. Sew a line on both long sides of the button hole. Start and stop each stitch at the previously marked boundary lines.

5. Carefully cut down the center of the buttonhole. Cut each of the corners at a diagonal. Pull the patch through the slit toward the wrong side of the jacket material.

6. Pull the material until it is completely through. Work the edges with your fingers until a rectangle is formed. Fold the swatch to form the edges of the buttonhole, matching up both sides in the center of the hole. Press the edges with an iron and whip-stitch them closed.

7. Place the jacket right side up. Fold one side of the buttonhole back to expose the original stitching. Stitch along the same lines. Do the same on the opposite side. Fold back one end of the buttonhole to show the triangle and stitching. Stitch along the same line for each end.