Machine sewing buttons (rant!)

Guy I sew production samples for has a button sewing machine. It's a bit like a bench-press drill - but when it's having an "off" day I can be almost as fast doing the ikufghvtr4586798468***** things by hand.

In article , Sarah Dale of Our House uttered

I cheat and use a tiny bit of double-sided tape, Ann

DH manages to sew a button on with the machine, but it really is best for flat shirt buttons. I usually sew all buttons on by hand.

Unless the machine-sewn buttons are tied off, they seem to come undone eventually, so why bother.

Me too! :-)

Sarah wrote: ...

Tape in place with a sufficient amount of clear tape. Stitch carefully. For the tie-off, flip to no zig-zag and run about three more down-ups. Go to next button. (I sew on all five or ten or whatever, then clip threads and remove the tape.)

Pull out the clear nail polish, and add a drop on the button threads. Usually works best on the top, since the threads draw it down into the button.

Have a cuppa while it dries.

All better now!

--Karen M.

Sarah Dale wrote in news:eg9hg2- snipped-for-privacy@mattfoster.homelinux.net:

I hold buttons on shirts with clear tape. Tape also makes placement easy.

Interesting to hear you say that. I thought that since I had a machine I should be doing all steps with it, even though with buttons it takes longer to use the machine than doing it by hand. If it's good enough for the professionals to hand sew occasionally, then the rest of us can do it too!

Have you tried holding the buttons in place with a piece of Scotch tape? That or a dab of glue stick usually works for me.

Maureen

Sarah Dale wrote:

manages to sew a button on with the machine, but it really is

Unless the machine-sewn buttons are tied off, they seem to come undone eventually, so why bother.

I think I've seen a special foot designed to hold a button, too. Where's Ron when you need him? Hallooooooo? Cea

My machine has a FIX button that does this for you! :) One more reason to Love my Lily!

The ones I've seen are usually wide, open-toed feet, and some have a sort of silicone coating to hold said button in place. (Mine is blue)

Karen Maslowski > I think I've seen a special foot designed to hold a button, too.

There are actually "lots" of steps/techniques done *better* by hand than by machine. Padding tailored suit lapels springs immediately to mind. And I often prefer a hand-sewn hem to a machine-sewn one.

Me too, I use a piece of the double sided basting tape......DON'T get it confused with the craft tape that isn't water-soluble and gunks up. I do 2-3 'zero stitches' do the zig-zags and then finish with 2-3 'zero stitches'. When I'm done I put a teeeeeeeeeny drop of Fray Check on the back of each button. I can zing through buttons pretty quickly and I've also done this when I've had a lot of hooks and eyes to sew on costumes. I think the sticky tape is the trick. I place them all down with that tape before I even start sewing them on, have my machine set for the proper width zig-zag and away I go. If I'm sewing tiny baby things or delicate fabrics I do them by hand, but that's pretty much the exception to the rule.

Val

On 2005-03-14 snipped-for-privacy@matt-sarah.me.uk said: >Newsgroups: alt.sewing >Hi All, >Just had to vent. I was using my machine at the weekend to sew >buttons on to the shirt I have very nearly finished making DH for >his birthday. >Once again, just as the needle came down to go through the hole in >the button the little slippery b*gg*r pinged out from under the >shank / foot holder at the last second - and before I could do >anything the needle had hit the button and broken. And I was going >at super slow snails pace. >!"£$%^&*(_$%^&*()^%%^&*(£&*()_+_)*(&^% >This has happened before, and seems to happen on any button that is >not flat, in particular small shirt buttons (which is all I ever >seem to sewn on by machine). >Keeping your finger on them helps, but you can't do that all the >time. >Does anyone have any favourite soloutions to this problem? Or shall >I get Kate to come round and give my machine a talking to?? ;-) >Only 7 more buttons to go on DH's shirt! >Sarah I am not brave (or brazen) enough to use power when sewing buttons, so I hand-turn the machine by its flywheel.

(No guts, no glory? But I have straight, one-piece needles!)

Tom Willmon Mountainair, (mid) New Mexico, USA

Net-Tamer V 1.12.0 - Registered

Sounds good to me - just two queries - is what you Americans call clear tape what I (in the UK) would call sticky tape or sellotape? And are you refering to double or single sided tape??

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and sympathy - much appreciated! I will test out some temporary glue or tape basting techniques, and check out my accessories manual to see if they do a foot to hold the button - I don't think so though.

I know that sewing them on my hand would take about the same amount of time, and depending on the style of button I will hand sew. But, I've found machine sewing the buttons using fix (2 or 3 stiches on the same spot), zig zag, fix in the other hole produces a nice looking finish that doesn't tend to fall off and gives the look of RTW.

Oh and Tom - I do hand walk my machine through that first z-z till I'm convinced that I have it the right size - hitting the button with the needle is not good for either :(

Many thanks

Sarah

I find that it helps to loosen the pressure on the presser foot.

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

I have a button sew on foot. It has an adjustable tang in the center that keeps the threads from being to tight. My machine will sew on a button then lock the thread then stop so I can move to the next button.