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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

I don't know much about sewing but I can put on a button.  My problem is metal buttons on a coat I just bought.

 

I have a Dennis Basso coat that I love but it has metal buttons.  Every time I wear it the threads keep shredding.  Is there an alternative way to put buttons on and stay on?

 

Thanks.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,506
Registered: ‎03-20-2012

I think there is an attachment for some sewing machines but I prefer to hand sew buttons. Have you tried the heavy duty thread? This is what was my answer for jackets and men's trousers. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,476
Registered: ‎06-27-2010

@Winkk wrote:

I don't know much about sewing but I can put on a button.  My problem is metal buttons on a coat I just bought.

 

I have a Dennis Basso coat that I love but it has metal buttons.  Every time I wear it the threads keep shredding.  Is there an alternative way to put buttons on and stay on?

 

Thanks.


 

 

Hi, @Winkk!  If the inside edges of the buttons are sharp and cutting the threads, usually you have to do something to dull the edges and then use heavy-duty thread or even metal "button pins."  I found this article which might be helpful:

 

http://www.essortment.com/sewing-tips-sewing-metal-buttons-45185.html

 

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,258
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

@Winkk wrote:

I don't know much about sewing but I can put on a button.  My problem is metal buttons on a coat I just bought.

 

I have a Dennis Basso coat that I love but it has metal buttons.  Every time I wear it the threads keep shredding.  Is there an alternative way to put buttons on and stay on?

 

Thanks.


@Winkk

 

Hi winkk,

 

My best guess is that many of us have been faced with the same problem.   The last dress I purchased at I. Magnin was a linen and silk blend,  apple green lined dress that had 6 gorgeous gold buttons down the front.  Always received many compliments, but oh my those buttons!

 

Every time I wore that dress, I was constantly checking those buttons to insure that the thread wasn't being cut through.  Well, one day I wasn't quick enough and lost a button.  It surprised me that this dress did not come with an extra button, so off I went to Britex Fabrics.  They had an amazing number of buttons and sure enough, I found a decent replacement set, but had to pay $66 for those replacements and that was in 1992.  Can't imagine what they would cost now.

 

In sewing on my new buttons, I made sure to use a technique, the name of which I've never known, but taught to me by my step-mother.    She suggested using a heavy-duty thread.  However, I couldn't find an apple green thread, so went with the heaviest I could find that matched the dress.  Today I would make a beeline for nylon (invisibe) thread for the initial sew-on and follow with color-appropriate thread, when wrapping.

 

In sewing on a button with a shank, make sure to sew the button on consistently loose with each stitch of double thread.  Yes, the button will "hang" a bit.  When this step is complete, start with fabric-matching thread, make a knot per usual, come up through the fabric to the "circle" at the base of the button.  Now take the button in your non-dominant hand and hold onto it.  Take the two strands of thread and wrap these around the already existing threads from the initial sewing on of the button.  Remember:  You're working around slack threads, so what you're doing is wrapping thread around and around the slack thread.  When you've done this about 8 times, bring your needle back down through the fabric as close as possible to the "circle" you initially sewed through.  Fasten off.

 

What this does is allow room for what will probably be 4 layers of fabric plus fusible lining, which takes the stress out of the joining of the button to the fabric as you take each button and slip it through the button hole.   It's  this stress and the movement created in simply wearing a dress that causes thread to shred, break and then drop and lose a button.  When the initial threads used to sew the button on are wrapped as described, far less stress is placed on the button and you have a much better chance of enjoying your garment with the original buttons, without having to purchase an entirely new set of buttons.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

Thanks ladies, your information was a big help.  I'm off to the fabric store.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@Fressa wrote:

I think there is an attachment for some sewing machines but I prefer to hand sew buttons. Have you tried the heavy duty thread? This is what was my answer for jackets and men's trousers. 


Not yet but I'm off to the store.  Thanks.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 69,383
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Try carefully daubing a bit of clear nail polish on the thread on the back of the button.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:

Try carefully daubing a bit of clear nail polish on the thread on the back of the button.


@Kachina624 - Thanks, that's a good idea.