Smart & Simple: The Best Way to Sew on a Button

Written by

Ashley Poskin
Ashley Poskin
Ashley traded the quiet life of a small town in a big house for the hustle and bustle of the Windy City. On any given day you might find her working on a freelance photo or blogging gig, wrangling her little darling, or walking Chuck the boxer.
updated Dec 19, 2019
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(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

Save some dough by taking care of loose or missing buttons yourself; there’s no need to pay the dry cleaner to put them back on for you. All you need is a sewing kit and five minutes of concentration to do it RIGHT, so they’ll stay put and work well. And if you think you already know how to do this, you might want to read up on it anyway, unless you already know about the toothpick trick, and the proper direction to stitch your buttons…

What You Need

Materials

  • Thread
  • Button

Tools

  • Needle
  • Scissors

Instructions

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

1. Gather your supplies: I used hot pink embroidery thread for the photo tutorial, but, of course, you’ll want to select a thread color that blends in with your button. Thread the needle and tie a knot at the end of the tail.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

2. Send the needle up from the backside of the fabric through one hole. Pull the thread all the way through so the knot at the end of the tail is touching the backside of the fabric.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

3. To insure your button sits properly, it’s important to allow for a bit of space between the button and the back of the fabric. For thick fabric, lay a toothpick or matchstick across the button so that the four holes are divided into two sides. When sewing buttons onto thinner fabric, allow a bit of slack when sewing the stitches.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

4. Hold the toothpick in place with your thumb while you send the needle over the top, and back down through the hole directly on the other side of the toothpick.

It’s best to sew four hole buttons in two straight lines, as opposed to sewing across to form an X. When sewn in an X shape, thread is more likely to wear through in the center where it comes in contact, leaving you more buttons to sew back on later.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

5. Repeat this step 3-5 times, circling around the toothpick in and back out of the holes.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

6. End with the needle on the backside of the fabric.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

8. Flip your fabric over to the backside and make 2-3 tiny stitches into the fabric to secure the button.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

9. Tie off the thread by sending the needle through the loop of the last stitch.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

10. Trim the tail of the thread and you’re all set!

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)
(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

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