How to Sew a Button
Learning how to fix a lost or loose button is an easy way to keep your gear in play.
Introduction
In this article, we’ll teach you how to secure a loose button or replace lost buttons with do-it-yourself button repair. Sewing buttons on by hand is simple and quick, and works on men’s and women’s button-downs, pants and jackets. Learning how to sew on a button also helps keep perfectly good shirts and other garments in play and out of the landfill.
Even durable, high-quality garments can lose buttons. It happens with regular wear, tear and laundering. Losing a button is no reason to throw away your shirt and buy a new one. When you commit to garment care and repair, you’ll save money, keep your beloved gear in use longer and help reduce textile waste.
What You’ll Need: Button Sewing Tools
How do you sew on a button by hand? It starts with the right tools. You can make your own sewing kit or buy one of the repair kits we offer in our gear care collection. Here’s what you’ll need to attach a button securely.
- Replacement button: Hopefully, you saved the one that fell off. If not, check inside your garment for a replacement button—they’re often sewn inside or attached to the care label. You can also look inside other garments in your closet. Don’t let an imperfect match stop you; a button with some personality makes for a good story. If you live near a Patagonia retail store, stop by and see if they have a replacement button that matches your garment.
- Needle: Use a hand sewing needle that can easily pierce the fabric of your garment—ideally a sharp needle for wovens and a ballpoint needle for knits. Check to make sure it’s narrow enough to pass through the button’s eyelet holes.
- Thread: It takes about 24 inches of sewing thread to sew on a button. Choose a color that matches the shirt fabric or the thread on the remaining buttons. If you only have one color available, use it anyway. Who knows how many fun conversations your mismatched button thread will start?
- Scissors: You’ll need scissors to cut the thread when sewing buttons on, but a knife also works.
- Spacer (optional): A pin or extra sewing needle can be used as a spacer to ensure your thread isn’t pulled too taut, creating enough space between the fabric and button for proper functionality.
- Fabric pencil or tailor’s chalk (optional): Use either of these tools to help mark the desired location of your replacement button. A dab of climbing chalk also works.
Step-by-Step Guide to Sewing on a Button
What is the best way to sew a button onto your garment? If you’re fixing a standard flat button, we recommend hand-sewing it back on with needle and thread. We’ll teach you how to sew a button on a shirt using a standard flat 2-hole or 4-hole button. These steps work for sewing flat buttons on pants, sweaters and other lightweight to medium-weight garments.
Sewing on a Two-Hole versus a Four-Hole Button
Four-hole flat buttons have two additional holes that usually form a square. Four-hole buttons are often used when a stronger hold is required—they’re great for slightly heavier-weight materials or areas where buttons are under more strain. The basic button sewing steps don’t differ much between two-hole and four-hole buttons. The main difference is the stitch pattern. Two-hole buttons result in a straight or dash pattern, while four-hole buttons can be stitched in one of two ways: diagonally across the holes to create an X shape or straight across the holes for a parallel-line pattern.
Sewing on a Shank Button
A shank button has a loop or stem called a shank on the back rather than holes through the face of the button. The thread passes through a hole in the shank to attach the button to the fabric. Shank buttons don’t sit flush against fabric like flat buttons, so they don’t require a spacing tool.
To sew on a shank button, thread the needle and make a stopper knot. Identify where the button should go and mark the spot with tailor’s chalk or a fabric pencil on the back of the fabric, then insert the needle through that spot. Pull the thread taut so the stopper knot hits where you want the button. Thread the needle through the button’s shank hole, then insert it through the same spot in the fabric and pull the thread tight. Continue passing the needle through the shank, then through the fabric directly under it, until the button feels secure. To finish, place the needle through your final thread loop, pull it tight, and make a final double knot.
How to Fix Loose Buttons
Prevent buttons from falling off by repairing them as soon as they seem loose. There are a couple of options for fixing a loose button. One way is to remove the loose button by cutting and pulling out the existing thread before re-sewing it back on. However, it’s faster to leave the existing thread and sew over the stitched button a few times until it feels secure. The faster method might result in a slightly bulkier, messier final result. Either way, we recommend double-knotting the final knot for a strong hold.
Sew Long, Until Next Time
Let’s button-up this guide with a few links that will take your skills to the next level. Our friends at iFixit have guides to help you learn how to replace a button on jeans and how to replace a button on heavy fabric, like canvas.
