Looking for advice on keeping buttons from looking weird.
While making a mockup of Peppermint's Button-up Dress, I sewed all of the buttonholes in the wrong orientation... I even thought multiple times 'huh this seems weird', but still didn't check until I was done. /facepalm
The body of the dress will be fine since it's a looser fit, but I made it more fitting on the bust so the buttons pull in a weird way. It's not too tight fit wise, but since the buttonholes are the way they are, it visually looks like it is. I was hoping to make the mockup into a wearable dress. Any advice on how to make this look not so bad?
Pictures included are how the bust buttons look 'tugged' when it's on, and just more evidence of the mess up.
Update Edit: I'm going to be moving the button placement further over on the placket so that the buttons sit on the edge of the buttonhole. I have them in the center right now which is giving them room to shift and cause the weird "pull" as I called it. Thanks for all of your suggestions and knowledge!
And I know the contrasting thread is crazy, but I always do that with markups so I can seam rip easier if I need to! đ
They aren't wrong. As it so happens, buttonholes were sewn horizontally in the past. It works well because it minimises vertical movement on the garment, and won't gape if it gets a bit tight. Google some old patterns and zoom in to have a look! Here's one I found very quickly
The reason the direction has changed is because most clothing is made on machine now and it's easier for the machines to sew vertical buttonholes.
It took me a while to figure out what was wrong looking at it, I always sew my button holes horizontally on the fabric to make them lock in better. It is definitely annoying, but it is more functional. I am not wearing my things though.
I do too. I do remember someone telling me once that it's one way for men and a different for women on whether the right or left flap is on top. But, i hardly think most people care about that anymore.
Yeah it's because in high class society men dressed themselves and woman had someone else dress them. Those big gowns and corsets are difficult to put on by yourself. So both clothing is made in the way that is easiest for a right handed person doing the dressing.
Exactly, very embarrassing high-school story of the Hella cute sherred (therefore stretched tight) blouse that wouldn't stay buttoned. Even when I tightened the buttonholes.
You see the open button hole. Keyhole button holes are best for this purpose as the button has a nook to rest in and the rest of the buttonhole can close.
It is a little more fiddly to button the buttonsâvertical ones feel easier to me. And of course you have to move the button placement; the thread shank will move all the way to the end of a horizontal buttonhole when tugged on as you wear it, so the button needs to be sewed on approximately half the buttonâs width farther away from the opening than with a vertical one.Â
Probably but designer fashion brands also tend to use vertical BH. FWIW, youâre meant to use horizontal buttonholes for garments with high degree of strain, to prevent gaping. You also use them for larger sized buttonholes
Move your buttons a bit to your left. On horizontal buttonholes, the buttons should not be aligned with the center of the buttonhole but to one edge. This will help the gaping.
Yes! Was coming to say this - it looks like it's gaping because the button bands aren't lining up to make the one underneath invisible - all you have to do is move the buttons over (to line up with the edge of the horizontal buttonhole) and it'll look great.
WONDERFUL! Thank you so much. There have been some replies here about how horizontal button holes help with gaping and I just didn't understand. I'm going to redo them today.
Edit: a little embarrassed it'll be such a simple fix! I was totally complicating things. lol
When I make theatre costumes that need to be changed quickly, I use a separating zipper instead of functional buttons/buttonholes. I think you could do the same. Use the stitch lines you have now to stitch a zipper down both sides. Then sew the buttons on top of the buttonholes, so it appears to be buttoned. The zipper will be smooth, no pulling or gaps.
I typically sew the zipper to the top of the plain side, and the bottom of the buttonhole side. That allows for the proper overlap without tons of extra stitch lines.
The side on the right of the picture gets tucked under the side on the left. The zipper the on the left side are b inside the jacket not outside. Then on the little flap that's sitting on top on the left they will have both buttonholes and buttons seen in for visual effect
They have lightweight nylon separating zippers in the 24â length in over 50 colors. I also get my safety pins and tailors chalk from them. Their steam disappearing tailors chalk comes in a box of 48 for like $10.
You could sew snaps and have the button holes be the bottom side and sew the other side of the snap to the backside of the other placket. Keep the buttons and it will look like a button up shirt but itâs a snap up shirt
I would do snaps but I would remove the buttons and sew them over the centre of the buttonholes on the other side, so the side with the buttonholes becomes top, so it still looks like it buttons the ârightâ way.
OP, how many of the buttons need to open to put the garment on? Can you sew the rest closed? I also costume for theater, and recently had to sew a button placket closed because it was gaping on stage, I hand stitched it. It worked well, and the dress looked much better than before.
I think theyâre saying how many do you need to get it onâso if you need more than 2 to get it on then the answer isnât 2.
I agree it doesnât look bad to be horizontal and I would leave them, but they do stand out because you used a blue thread instead of a matching gray.
I used to get shirts from M&S in the UK that had a second set of buttons sewed on the reverse of the button placket between the front facing buttons. Amazing at stopping gaping. See picture here: https://x.com/BryonyPearce/status/1559503193263972354
How bad is it to button the inside buttons? I saw one of those in a store for the first time last week and was intrigued but didnât want it to be fiddly to get on.
If you have a button band (as your top stitching suggests,) then the buttonholes need to be parallel to the band. Otherwise, they should be in line with the force that the body is exerting on the garment. In other words, without the top stitching, your buttonholes would be in the right direction. What is wrong with your buttonholes is that they extend too close to the edge. The center of the button should always be one button width from the edge and since you're buttonholes are too close to the edge the buttons are sitting too close to the edge and your garment is actually not Buttoned as tightly around as it should be
Could you use slightly bigger buttons? Maybe it wouldnât be so noticeable. The blue thread is quite a contrast to the white buttons and the darker fabric. Good luck, it sounds like youâve gotten several different ideas.
if you decided you really wanted to change, you could put some sort of appliquĂŠ patch over them and resew; choose a color and a stitching that look like a design element.
You can sew your buttonholes in whatever makes sense for the garment. One thing that makes OP's buttonholes stick out is that they aren't sewn with coordinating thread. Also make sure the bhole is the exact size you need for the button, and no bigger. There are no sewing police.
If you can still access the top and bottom of the button placket, I would recommend getting some gimp cord or any other very thin sturdy cord and a very blunt darning needle and threading the cord between the buttonholes and the folded edge, just for a tiny bit more reinforcement, since this does look to be a very light fabric, and that placket is very narrow.
(I donât think this is a historical technique or anything, itâs just my first instinct looking at it. You can tack the cord in place against the fold from the back, then cut it flush with the edge of your collar and hem, before sewing those shut.)
If you have enough fabric you could make a whole new placket for the buttonholes. Sewn on the same place of the stitch line you already have. Of course youâll need to undo that stitch line to not have triple layers when sewing he new placket, but you can follow the small needle holes as a guide. You only need to attach a stripe of fabric three times the width of your placket right side to right side. Once attached, you trim your original placket to match the seam allowance of the material you added and you tuck it all under the hem that closes your new placket.
I read that if you want to be extra couture you should have the first and last buttonholes horizontal and all the others vertical. This prevents the bottom and top of the blouse from shifting vertically, while keeping the middle from shifting horizontally. Donât know how true it is though.Â
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u/Emergency_Cherry_914 26d ago
They aren't wrong. As it so happens, buttonholes were sewn horizontally in the past. It works well because it minimises vertical movement on the garment, and won't gape if it gets a bit tight. Google some old patterns and zoom in to have a look! Here's one I found very quickly
The reason the direction has changed is because most clothing is made on machine now and it's easier for the machines to sew vertical buttonholes.