How to Sew a Button on a Suit

Suits

Buttons become loose even on expensive suits. If you find yourself owning a suit that needs a button sewn on, there is a technique that will ensure the button is sewn on correctly and will stay in place for a long time.

There are a few buttons on a suit that are used more than the other buttons. For this reason, these buttons tend to get loose and fall off more often than other lesser-used buttons. If you are sewing a button on a suit that is one of the key buttons, it is more important than ever to make sure it is sewn on properly.

Follow the proper technique, and your new button will look perfect.

Things You'll Need

• Pre-waxed thread (match color to suit)
• Button(s)
• Needle
• Scissors
• Wooden match

Instructions

1. Thread the needle with a 12-inch length thread, and tie an overhand knot at the end.

2. 

   Place the button in the place it needs to be sewn. Place the wooden match over the button as shown.

3. Sew the button by inserting the needle up one center hole from under the suit. Pull the thread until the knot stops it. Insert the needle through the other hole in the button, and pull the thread over the match (securing the match temporarily to the top of the button).

4. Continue sewing the button on by making five more stitches with the needle and thread, ending with the needle on the underside of the suit.

5. Remove the match. Pull the excess thread to the underside of the button between the button and the suit. This excess thread will become the shank for your button that will keep the button from either drooping if it is too loose or buttoning the suit too tightly if the shank is too short.

6. Bring the needle up from the underside of the suit, but not through a button hole. Wrap the thread on the needle five or six times around the shank created under the button.

7. Insert the needle back through the suit to the underside of the suit. Knot the thread, and clip the excess thread to finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Often suits have extra buttons sewn to the inside of the suit coat near the bottom edge. If you cannot find a suitable button, you may have to replace all the buttons.