Neat Buttonholes and etc.. add your tips to this page !
Its amazing how thrilling I seem to find learning a new �old� technique.
During the Toronto workshop Roberta Carr taught how to place and make a variety of wonderful buttonholes. The kind that takes time and thought to make!
She made them easy!!!! and you can see all of them on her videos or in her wonderful book Couture the Art Of Fine Sewing published in conjunction with Palmer Pletsch.. its available from her website.. the Fabric Carr.. (no affiliation just a very satisfied student!!!). Oh.. if you�re not into �couture� still consider this book it will improve your finishing techniques even if you don�t spend weeks on each garment!
I�m going to share her tips for placing buttonholes cause they make so darn much sense and are �standards� for proper placement.
Now that you have a properly fitting bodice you can place that bust line buttonhole slightly above or below the actual bust stress point..
Ms. Carr recommends the following:
The top button should be placed the diameter of the button plus 1/4 inch below the neck line.
The bottom button should be placed no less than 1 1/2 times the width of the button.. it can be lots more but not less!
To figure the length of a buttonhole figure the diameter of the button plus 1/8th inch.
dome buttons need a bit more.
The buttonhole that really knocked me out is the Spanish snap buttonhole. Its very much like a bound buttonhole but is almost �invisible�. Its outstanding on a thick fabric like polar fleece, boucle, berber or a nice thick wool ( think Cashmere!!!).
Instead of being a rectangle like the welt lips of the bound button buttonhole its an egg shape and the trick is that the midline of the �egg� is on the BIAS.
When you stitch the button hole opening you stitch a football shape not another rectangle and the thing that makes it work is the SNAP.. you grab both ends of the football after cutting the midline and give it a snap.. the bias wraps right around, and the lips are quite thin making it appear �invisible� in the garment.
I had a lot of fun practicing this buttonhole on muslin one afternoon at the cabin.. tee hee.. dh must have thought I was nuts making tiny little footbballs on muslin and grinning like a Cheshire when I snapped em into perfect buttonholes!
I just made a polar fleece jacket from a white, camel and gray unbalanced plaid and wanted a light weight but biggish button. Light being the key word on that soft polar fleece.
So.. with a little advise from Janet brown in the chat room.. my idea of a knotted button was improved to be a strip of each of the plaids colors braided together then knotted!.. I left the tails of the braid attached for about 1/4 inch on each side of the knot making an almost bow like shape.( pull tight and the same on each button!)
The final buttons measured an inch so the button hole needed to be 1 1/4 inches long.
I made my egg template by truing my grain on a piece of scrap polar fleece and making an egg template 3 inches wide by 2 inches deep.
The template was placed so the midline was on the true BIAS.
I cut out 4 buttonhole eggs for the jacket front closure and 2 more to secure the matching fringed scarf at the shoulders (buttons on midline of shldr and holes in scarf)
The button hole itself is 1 1/8 inch long is a football shape with the egg pinned to the right side of the button placket.
Stitch with a very short stitch (20 s/inch) at the ends and return to regular stitch length in the middles (don�t make the ends too pointy!! or too round!!) with the maximum width at the midline being 1/4 inch wide so each lip will be only 1/8 inch wide! ( for the facing I used organza as the egg.. I also used organza as the interlining for the placket.)
Cut down the midline thru the egg and the button placket (using a straight pin at each end to make sure I did not cut thru my stitching) and then turn the egg to the inside. it wont lay perfectly flat till you SNAP it. Grab the pointy ends of the football and give a nice tug snapping the egg into shape! Put a dot of liquid fuse on the ends to secure or take a single tack stitch. trim one end of the football straight toward the center front line to reduce bulk.
DO practice one or more before applying to a nice garment.
You can use a nice firm woven to make a hard edge to the button hole in contrast color as well; but, I did mine with polar fleece and just love the look with my no cost and unique knotted buttons!
Kaaren Hoback, Dryden NY, Sept 30, 1999
[email protected]
Reference: Roberta Carr August 1999.