How to sew a button on a shirt
When a shirt button pops the morning of an interview, thread a needle with about 18 inches of thread doubled and knotted, start from the back of the fabric, and sew up and down through the button's holes six to eight times over a pin laid across the top. Then pull the pin, wind the thread around the stitches under the button, and knot it on the back.
About 15 minutes to learnEveryday skill
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How to do it
- Find the spot from the old thread marks or line it up with the buttonhole, and mark it with a pencil dot.
- Cut about 18 inches of thread that matches, thread the needle, pull the ends even and tie them together in a knot.
- Push the needle up from the back of the fabric at the mark and through one hole of the button.
- Lay a pin or toothpick across the top of the button, and sew down through the next hole over it.
- Sew up and down through the holes six to eight times, following the pattern of the other buttons.
- Remove the pin, bring the needle up between the button and the shirt, and wrap the thread around the stitches five or six times.
- Push the needle through to the back, make two small stitches through the thread there, knot, and trim.
Common mistakes
- Sewing the button tight against the fabric, so it will not fit through the buttonhole.
- Using a single strand, which breaks quickly.
- Starting on the front, leaving the knot showing.
- Guessing the position and ending up with a puckered front.
Quick self-check
Three questions. Your last score is kept in this browser.
Teach this to someone
A one-page sheet for showing a friend, a roommate or a kid: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to sew a button on a shirt
What to say
When a shirt button pops the morning of an interview, thread a needle with about 18 inches of thread doubled and knotted, start from the back of the fabric, and sew up and down through the button's holes six to eight times over a pin laid across the top. Then pull the pin, wind the thread around the stitches under the button, and knot it on the back.
What to show, in order
- Find the spot from the old thread marks or line it up with the buttonhole, and mark it with a pencil dot.
- Cut about 18 inches of thread that matches, thread the needle, pull the ends even and tie them together in a knot.
- Push the needle up from the back of the fabric at the mark and through one hole of the button.
- Lay a pin or toothpick across the top of the button, and sew down through the next hole over it.
- Sew up and down through the holes six to eight times, following the pattern of the other buttons.
- Remove the pin, bring the needle up between the button and the shirt, and wrap the thread around the stitches five or six times.
- Push the needle through to the back, make two small stitches through the thread there, knot, and trim.
The check question
Ask: Why lay a pin across the button while sewing?
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Last reviewed . First published .