Buttons & Shanks

No need for a tailor on this. Place something between the button and the suit fabric: a needle, toothpick, hairpin...something to raise the button off the fabric. Choose something that will hold the button up as much as the other buttons are, to accomodate the thick jacket front. Sew the button with this tool holding the space needed. Remove it when you have finished off the stitching. Wrap thread around this thread shank to keep its shape and protect it from undue wear. HTH.

Jean M.

Re: Buttons & Shanks Group: alt.sewing Date: Tue, Apr 13, 2004, 7:59am From: snipped-for-privacy@bellsouth.net (Jean=A0D=A0Mahavier) "elziko" wrote in message news:407bca17$0$22649$ snipped-for-privacy@news.easynet.co.uk... I need to sew a button back onto my suit. The button is flat but was raised to accomodate the thick material. How do I sew the button back on creating a shank? Should I just go to a taylor? No need for a tailor on this. Place something between the button and the suit fabric: a needle, toothpick, hairpin...something to raise the button off the fabric. Choose something that will hold the button up as much as the other buttons are, to accomodate the thick jacket front. Sew the button with this tool holding the space needed. Remove it when you have finished off the stitching. Wrap thread around this thread shank to keep its shape and protect it from undue wear. HTH. Jean M.

Here is a neat little drawing on how to do it :

see how they put a toothpic ontop of the button and sew over it. that is how you make the stem. after you just rap some tread between the button and the fabric.

this is the link to the rest of this site

Jean P.

"elziko" a écrit dans le message de news:407bca17$0$22649$ snipped-for-privacy@news.easynet.co.uk...

Place the button on the coat and place a matchstick on top, between the holes. Sew the button on over the matchstick. Take the matchstick out of the thread loops, and push the button to the top of the stalk: wrap the stalk with thread before finishing off. This is the classic way to give a flat button a stalk.

I really like buttons sewn on this way, especially on coats and other heavy garments. A clear button is nice, but a button the color of the fabric works, too. Just make sure that the button is smaller than the button that shows.