Bound Buttonholes: How To

Do you enjoy making bound buttonholes? Do you glory in their sharply pressed, square beauty? Oh! You’ve never dared to tackle a bound buttonhole? Pick up your courage, and let’s go out for a practice run! It’s sheer fun and the result is a delight to the home dressmaker’s eye. Besides bound buttonholes are strong, and can be made over worked buttonholes to rejuvenate them.

Making Bound Buttonholes

You have marked with basting thread or chalk the line where the buttonhole is to go; usually you will make more than one, so mark all at once.

Cut a strip of fabric about an inch and a half wider than the length the finished buttonhole is to be, thus allowing 3/4 inch at each end of this strip, which becomes the binding. This should be on straight of fabric or true bias for a trim. Mark it for buttonholes to correspond with the garment (Fig. 1)–patterns usually are perforated for this. If you prefer, you may cut separate pieces to bind each buttonhole–but it is easier with a strip, which is later snipped and trimmed. Place the right side of binding over the right side of buttonhole, lining up the basting marks on each. With your machine, begin in center of buttonhole, run a line of fine stitches around the marking of buttonhole (usually the width of presser foot from center on each side, and straight across each end), turning nice, square corners at the ends (Fig. 2). This is accomplished by leaving the machine needle down in fabric, lift presser foot, turn garment and continue with other side or end–this makes a perfectly square corner. Count the number of stitches across each end. For a small buttonhole, run the stitching as close together as possible, so that, when the cut is made, the stitches will hold the fabric from raveling.

To make the cut, you may prefer to use buttonhole scissors; start at the center, between stitching, and cut to within 1/4 or 3/8 inch of each end (Fig. 3). At the ends, making diagonal cuts to the corners, cutting right up to the stitching line, but not through the thread (Fig. 4.) If you have used a binding strip, cut it about 3/4 inch from each edge (Fig. 4), and turn the binding through the buttonhole to the wrong side or back of the garment (Fig. 5). Draw all into shape, observing from the right side that the binding is turned back evenly and exactly the right distance to make a fine, straight finish (Fig. 6). Make sure that the ends of buttonholes are pulled out even. Make an inverted pleat at each end on the under side. Fasten triangular pieces at ends to binding with a few stitches (Fig. 7). Flatten with fingers, pin and baste, then press.

Cut facing through buttonhole, turn edges under and slip stitch or hem down to buttonhole, keeping corners square and edges of binding close together. Baste buttonhole together with easy diagonal stitches (Fig. 8), and finish pressing.

The same procedure goes for buttonholes that you desire to renovate, except that more care must be used to keep work flat and true. Keeping the binding uncut until stitching is completed will help. A finish stitching may be used on the right side, if desired; it should be made with very fine stitches.

Making Corded Buttonholes

Corded Buttonholes–Cut two corded pieces, stitching or basting to hold cord, one inch longer than buttonhole. Trim raw edge to about 1/8 inch before stitching. Stitch both strips to right side of material, having the raw edges meet in the center (Fig. 9). Do not stitch across ends. Cut between stitchings and diagonally to corner. Turn the corded strip through slash to wrong side. Stitch across the triangular ends to ends of cording (Fig. 10). Face and finish same as for bound buttonholes.

Source: The Workbasket (vintage)

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