Dear readers,
Button placement, size, spacing: this is something I tend to agonise over. Because nothing gives away a garment quite like buttons that feel slightly off. Too close to the edge. Too far. Odd spacing. A size that does not quite match the scale of the garment. We notice these things even when we cannot name exactly what is wrong.
But there is also a practical problem that is less talked about: buttons that shift when worn. You place them where they look right. You wear the garment. The button migrates. The centre fronts no longer overlap the way they should. And you realise you have to take them all off and start over.
This tip will help you avoid that entirely.
Always open your buttonholes first
Before placing a single button, sew all your buttonholes and open them. Then overlap the button side and buttonhole side wrong sides together, exactly as they will sit when worn. Thread your needle and go through the buttonhole at the correct placement point to start sewing the button. You are placing the button in relation to the actual, open buttonhole, not a marked position.
Horizontal buttonholes
When worn, garments pull at the button. On pieces where the right side overlaps the left, the button should sit approximately 3 mm from the right end of the buttonhole (the end closest to the centre front). This is a starting point: larger or thicker buttons may need a little more, smaller flat buttons a little less.
Vertical buttonholes
Buttons pull upward when the garment is worn. If you centre the button in the buttonhole, it will shift upward in wear. Instead, place the button approximately 3 mm below the top of the buttonhole so that in wear it sits centred.
There is one exception: dress shirts with short vertical buttonholes (up to about 1.2 cm). On these, centre the button. The buttonhole is short enough that the shift is negligible, and centering gives the button band a little more room to lie flat.
And buttonhole placement itself?
Knowing where the button sits within the buttonhole is one thing. Knowing where the buttonhole begins on the centre front line is another rule entirely. Can you guess? Otherwise, that is a Tiny Tip for another Tuesday.
Happy sewing,
Delphine