How to Sew Buttons on a Duvet Cover
Buttons make a good solution for a duvet cover that doesn't stay on your duvet. It is an easy project to complete for anyone with basic sewing skills, especially if you use a sewing machine with a buttonhole stitch setting. Use sew-through buttons rather than shank buttons so that the duvet cover will still lie flat.
Things You'll Need
- Duvet cover
- Iron
- Fabric marker or tailor's chalk
- Measuring tape
- Buttons
- Matching thread
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Sewing needle
Instructions
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1
Press the duvet cover well and lay it out on a flat surface with the right sides out. Arrange the buttons along the lower edge of the duvet cover at the opening and space them evenly apart. This enables you to examine the spacing of the buttons before marking the fabric and re-position them until you are satisfied with the placement.
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Take the measuring tape and measure the length of the lower edge of the duvet cover. Make a mark on the fabric two inches in from each side edge. Measure the length of this middle section and divide it by the number of buttons you have. This gives you the distance between the buttons.
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3
Use the measuring tape and mark the fabric on the right side with a small dot at the position for each button. Use each dot as the center point to draw a line for each button hole. The lines should be about 1/8-inch longer than the buttons. Put the buttons aside for now and take the duvet cover over to your sewing machine.
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Follow the manufacturer's instructions for using the buttonhole stitch on your sewing machine--this usually means you position the presser foot and needle at the starting point on the marked line, then the machine will automatically stitch around the line. If your machine does not have this function, use a narrow zigzag stitch setting, sew along one side of the line, bar tack a few stitches at the end, stitch back along the other side of the line and bar tack a few stitches at the other end.
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5
Use very sharp scissors to cut the buttonholes open along the line in the center of the stitching. Be very careful not to snip through any of the stitches.
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Press the duvet cover again and spread it out over a flat surface. Use the marker or chalk to draw through the center of each buttonhole onto the inside hemmed edge of the other side of the duvet cover. These marks indicate the positions for sewing the buttons.
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Hand sew a button in the center of each of these marked lines using a double thickness of thread. You could machine-sew the buttons on if your machine offers that function.
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Tips & Warnings
Apply liquid fray preventer to the stitches around the buttonholes for extra strength.
