How to Sew a Buttonhole That Looks Neat and Lasts

You finished a whole shirt, and now the last step, five little buttonholes, is the part that scares you. Most people who try to sew a buttonhole for the first time get one of three results: a bird's nest of thread underneath, stitches that pull the fabric into a pucker, or a hole that frays open after two washes.

I have taught enough beginner classes to know the machine is rarely the problem. The trouble usually comes from skipped prep, the wrong stabilizer and cutting too soon. Fix those three and your buttonholes will look like they came off a shop rack.

What you need before you sew a buttonhole

Gather everything first, because stopping halfway to hunt for a seam ripper is how wobbly lines happen.

• A buttonhole foot. Most modern machines have a one step foot with a slot at the back that holds the button and sets the length automatically.
• Fusible interfacing. Lightweight woven or knit interfacing for shirts and blouses, medium weight for jackets.
• A fresh needle. Size 70/10 or 80/12 universal for cotton shirting, a ballpoint for knits, 90/14 for denim or wool.
• Good polyester all purpose thread in the top and bobbin.
• A small sharp tool for opening. A buttonhole chisel and block is ideal. Small embroidery scissors or a seam ripper also work.
• A pin and a scrap of the same fabric with the same interfacing for test runs.

Prep that decides the result

Interface every buttonhole area

The satin stitch on a buttonhole packs dozens of stitches into about 2 centimetres. Without support, the fabric gets pulled into the feed dogs and tunnels. Your button band should already have interfacing if you followed the pattern. If you are adding a buttonhole to something that has none, fuse a small rectangle about 1 centimetre bigger than the buttonhole on all sides.

Mark the length and position

The buttonhole should be the button's diameter plus its thickness, plus about 3 millimetres of ease. For a flat 15 millimetre shirt button that works out to around 18 to 19 millimetres. Domed or shank buttons need more. Mark the start point and the direction with a chalk pencil or a water soluble pen, and keep the spacing even by measuring from one fixed edge.

On a shirt front, buttonholes run vertically. On waistbands and coats they usually run horizontally, because strain pulls sideways there.

Step by step on a one step machine

1. Put the button in the back of the buttonhole foot and slide the holder snug against it.
2. Pull down the buttonhole lever that sits beside the needle. This is the step most people forget, and without it the machine just keeps sewing forward.
3. Select the buttonhole stitch. For lightweight fabric, shorten the stitch length slightly so the satin bars are dense.
4. Sew a test on your scrap. Check that the bobbin thread stays underneath and the top looks like two smooth columns with neat bar tacks at each end.
5. Line up the needle with your start mark and sew the real buttonhole without pushing or pulling the fabric. Let the feed dogs do the work.
6. Pull the threads to the back, tie them, and dab a tiny amount of seam sealant on the knot.

If the stitches look loose on top or loops form underneath, check your threading and tension before blaming the foot. Our guide explaining why a sewing machine tension problem is rarely the machine walks through the usual culprits.

Opening the buttonhole without cutting the stitches

This is the moment that ruins more buttonholes than any other. Put a pin across each bar tack at the end, so the blade cannot slip through. Then cut from the middle outward toward each pin with small scissors, or press a chisel straight down through the center onto a wooden block.

After opening, brush a thin line of seam sealant along the cut edges and let it dry for 15 to 20 minutes. It stops the threads of the fabric from working loose in the wash. Test the fit with the actual button before you sew the rest.

The advice I would skip: sew all the buttonholes before attaching buttons

Many patterns tell you to sew every buttonhole in one go, then sew all the buttons on at the end. It sounds efficient, and on a machine you trust it can be.

For beginners, I recommend the opposite. Sew one buttonhole, open it, sew its button, and test it. Then do the next. Machines drift, especially old ones and especially on thick bands where a seam allowance hides under the foot. If the third buttonhole comes out 4 millimetres short, you want to catch it before you have a row of five. It costs a few extra minutes and saves you an evening with a seam ripper picking satin stitches out of a finished shirt.

Fixing common buttonhole problems

• The foot stalls on a thick seam. Place a folded scrap of the same thickness under the back of the foot so it sits level.
• The stitches bunch at one end. The fabric was dragged. Sew more slowly and keep your hands flat on either side of the foot.
• The buttonhole is uneven on the two sides. Many machines have a balance dial for buttonholes. Adjust it a click at a time on your scrap.
• The hole frays after washing. Add seam sealant next time, and on loose weaves sew the buttonhole twice, right over the first pass.

Picking a buttonhole style for the garment

Most machines offer three or four buttonhole stitches, and the default square end is not always the best one.

• Standard square end. The everyday choice for shirts, blouses, pyjamas and children's clothes.
• Rounded end. Slightly softer looking, good on lightweight dresses and cardigans where a square bar tack looks heavy.
• Keyhole. Has a round eye at one end for the shank of a thick button. Use it on coats, jackets and heavy wool.
• Stretch or knit buttonhole. Built with a more open stitch so it flexes with jersey without popping threads.

On loosely woven or stretchy fabric, a corded buttonhole helps a lot. Hook a strand of heavier thread or fine cord around the small prong at the back of the foot, sew over it, then pull the tails snug and tie them off at the back. The cord fills out the satin columns and stops the hole stretching into an oval.

Buttonholes on denim and jackets follow the same steps with a heavier needle. If you are working on jeans this weekend, our walk through on how to hem jeans and keep the original hem uses the same patience with thick layers, and the rest of our sewing and textiles guides cover the other finishing jobs.

Frequently asked questions

Can you sew a buttonhole by hand?

Yes, and hand worked buttonholes are still used on fine tailoring. You mark the line, cut it, then work close buttonhole stitches over the raw edge with a single strand of strong thread. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes per hole once you have practiced, and the result is very durable.

How long should a buttonhole be?

Measure the button's diameter, add its thickness, then add about 3 millimetres. A 15 millimetre flat button usually needs an 18 to 19 millimetre buttonhole. Always test on a scrap first, because thick or domed buttons need more room than the formula suggests.

Why does my sewing machine buttonhole keep going forward?

Most often the buttonhole lever beside the needle has not been pulled down. That lever tells the machine when to stop and reverse. Check also that the button holder at the back of the foot is pushed snug against the button.