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Member since 4/16/08
Posts: 1687
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Posted on: 10/28/08 10:44 PM ET
I am going to make a trench coat whose pattern calls for fourteen 1" buttons. Do you think I could get away with using 7/8" buttons. Would it look as good with the buttons being slightly smaller?
  
Member since 11/22/07
Posts: 506
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Posted on: 10/28/08 11:47 PM ET
In reply to blessedtosew
Probably so, especially if you are short or petite.

You could try a mock up with a coat you have and see if the size difference is noticable....I bet no-one would be able to tell a 1/8 inch difference.

The quality/appearance of the buttons is the most important part when making a button selection, if you are talking about something that close in size, imo.
ML
  
Member since 3/19/04
Posts: 2557
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Posted on: 10/30/08 11:32 AM ET
In reply to blessedtosew
I think they would be fine. If you increase or decrease the button size by 1/4" or more you have to start worrying about how far they are from the edge of the fabric, and the spacing, (see this tip from the incomparable els!) but 1/8" just isn't enough to worry about. (And 14 large buttons can be pretty expensive, if you've got other ones already on hand!)
  
Member since 7/1/08
Posts: 699
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Posted on: 10/30/08 11:43 AM ET
I pay very little attention to the recommended buttons on any pattern unless the buttons are, by virtue of their number and placement, a primary design feature of the pattern.

After I have the fronts assembled, I lay them out, overlapped as they will be worn, and start laying out likely buttons in likely spacings.

When I've determined what size, color, and placement I like I either dig the precise buttons out of my stash or purchase the correct number.

I started this due to being to poor to just buy whatever was asked for and continued because I get superior results this way. Frequently the choice of fabric affects the desired size/shape of the button.

Even more frequently, the original did not call for placing a button precisely at the strain point between my breasts (or, if it started that way, alterations moved it). As all full-busted women know, if you don't have a button just there the garment is going to look ill-fitted -- even if you put in a hidden snap or a hook instead of resorting to a safety pin -- because the eye expects a button on that line if there are buttons above and below the bustline at all.

So if you line the buttons you want to use up on your trenchcoat fronts and they look good then they are the right buttons.

(And it never hurts to buy a couple extra in case you decide you want a closer spacing because you can always sew them inside the hem and have spares for that inevitable day when you'll lose one).
------
3KB

"The combination of physical strength and moral sincerity combined with tenderness of heart is exactly what is wanted in a husband." Amelia Peabody Emerson
  
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