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How do you mark a buttonhole?
amysayssew Beginner NY Member since 9/7/08 Posts: 178	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/9/10 9:20 PM How do you mark buttonholes on your fabric? I'm sewing drawstring pants and need to sew two buttonholes. This is my second pair of pants. With the first, I had no problem with the buttonholes. But this time, the tailor's tacks came out and the chalk that I used to replace the markings turned out to be inaccurate, with one buttonhole being higher than the other. Does anyone know of any easy ways to mark a buttonhole accurately? I read a tip on marking buttonholes with a paper towel, but I didn't quite understand it. ------ Buffalo Modern Sewing Group: http://bit.ly/buffalosewing Sewing prints at my Etsy store: http://bit.ly/sewingart
Elona   Advanced CA USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 7401	Login to reply to this post In reply to amysayssew Like this post Date: 3/9/10 10:40 PM Space Tape on this page is about the slickest buttonhole aid I know of, especially for casual clothing. I always keep it around, because you never know when it's the absolute, only thing that will work.
mmmckay Intermediate UT USA Member since 7/24/08 Posts: 828	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 3/10/10 3:09 PM That tape looks awesome! I've always used temporary fabric marker. My current one is the pen with blue Mark-B-Gone on one end and purple disappearing ink on the other. It works great on casual fabrics like cotton, though it may not show up on darker fabric. I recently got some chalk pencils from Clover for dark fabrics. They came in a 3 pack of white, pink, and blue, and they have nice fine points. I haven't used them enough yet to know how much I like them. To make sure the buttonholes line up, I don't mark them individually. I use an acrylic ruler to make a line or grid. For buttonholes that line up end to end, I make one long line, then mark the start and end of each buttonhole along that line. I sometimes erase the in-between marks with water on a q-tip, if it looks confusing when I'm done. For buttonholes that line up parallel to each other like railroad ties, I make two long lines that mark the ends of the buttonholes, then measure and mark the buttonholes between the lines (like a railroad track). It's a lot faster and more accurate than marking the buttonholes individually.
amysayssew Beginner NY Member since 9/7/08 Posts: 178	Login to reply to this post In reply to mmmckay Like this post Date: 3/10/10 3:23 PM Do you mark the buttonholes after you cut the fabric out and it is pinned to the pattern? Or do you mark them right before you're ready to sew them? ------ Buffalo Modern Sewing Group: http://bit.ly/buffalosewing Sewing prints at my Etsy store: http://bit.ly/sewingart
lca   Intermediate CO USA Member since 6/4/07 Posts: 503	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/10/10 3:43 PM I mark mine right before I sew them. Sometimes, especially on blouses, I don't want the buttonhole where the pattern suggests.
Sewing Joe IN USA Member since 3/7/08 Posts: 420	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/10/10 4:22 PM I only mark where I want the buttonhole to begin. I use the marks on my buttonhole foot to "measure" how long I want the hole to be. If I'm using a machine with a one step buttonhole I only mark the bottom. I've heard a tip to use water soluble stabilizer to mark the buttonholes. You mark them on the stabilizer and then bast that to the placket. After you sew the buttonholes, you dissolve the stabilizer and pull out your basting. I bought the stabilizer, but haven't actually tried it yet. Anyone else ever done that? ------ Joe in New Albany, iN
Elona   Advanced CA USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 7401	Login to reply to this post In reply to Sewing Joe Like this post Date: 3/10/10 5:31 PM I've tried that, Joe, on a couple of difficult fabrics. It works, but compared to using SpaceTape, it's rather clumsy and time-consuming.
dscheidt Member since 6/8/09 Posts: 250	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/13/10 11:40 PM I make a template, and mark the button holes when i'm ready to make them. Most of the time, there's no reason to mark them when you cut out. You can easily figure out where they're supposed to be, and figure out what points to measure from to locate the template. I usually mark only the bottom of the buttonhole, since I use a machine that will make them the right length for me. Just a little dot with a fabric marker.
LouisaP Intermediate MN USA Member since 2/27/07 Posts: 401	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/15/10 2:26 PM I like using the water-soluble embroidery stabilizer, but not the clear stuff (Solvy). I use the H2Gone cheap stuff I got at Walmart for $1/yard. I found that markers, because they are wet, dissolve the Solvy, rendering it nearly useless. So I use a lead pencil on the H2Gone (it feels like non-woven interfacing), trace the buttonhole markings off my pattern piece, and then pin the H2Gone piece onto my fabric. Stitch out the buttonholes, clip away most of the stabilizer, and then use a damp washcloth or a wet Q-tip to wisk away all the remnants. I find that using a stabilizer on the top actually makes my buttonholes look a WHOLE lot nicer, particularly on knits.
Sewing Joe IN USA Member since 3/7/08 Posts: 420	Login to reply to this post In reply to LouisaP Like this post Date: 3/15/10 2:41 PM I'm glad to hear from someone who has actually done this. Using something other than Solvy makes very good sense. I'm going to try this on my next buttonholes. I'm making a corduroy jacket (well, I'm *trying* to at least), and I think that would be easier than trying to mark them on the lumpy fabric. THANKS! ------ Joe in New Albany, iN

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