Thursday Tip with Hali - Buttonholes Part 2
Thursday Tip // Buttonholes Part 2
If you caught last week’s video tutorial about sewing buttonholes, here’s your follow up post, as promised!
There are several ways to cut a buttonhole and if you don’t already have a preferred method, you probably just use whatever sharp tool you have on hand. Here are three of my methods; the first two use tools you probably already have and the last uses my favourite tool which, if you are new to sewing you might not have heard of yet. The video shows each method as described below.
How to cut open a buttonhole:
Seam ripper - Place a pin at one end of the buttonhole perpendicular to the bartack. Poke the seam ripper into the other end of the buttonhole and push the seam ripper toward the pin to cut the buttonhole. The pin will stop the seam ripper from accidentally cutting the threads.
Scissors/snips - Fold the buttonhole in half and clip into the fold to make a small hole in the middle of the buttonhole. Unfold the fabric and carefully cut the rest of the buttonhole to each end.
Buttonhole cutter/chisel - This is by far my favourite tool! The bevelled edges allow for a super precise cut. Use a scrap piece of wood or an old cutting board to protect your work surface. You can use a cutting mat underneath but depending on the thickness of your fabric the cutter may put a permanent hole in the mat. Always test it first. To cut the buttonhole open, angle the cutter with the tip at the end of the buttonhole and rock the cutter back and forth until you cut through the fabric. Now do the same on the other end of the buttonhole.
If you are ever at our Community Sewing Night and want to try out a buttonhole cutter, feel free to ask us. We love to help you discover new sewing tools!
