Tuesday's Tip - Machine Button Sewing

Did you know that you can sew on a button with your sewing machine? Amazingly, you can! It's very simple to do and can be a real time-saver.

Mary Perisho, Owl & Drum's sewing instructor, and Kelly Crowley, of Bake Simple, made this short and sweet video to show you just how easy it can be. 

Here's a run down of the steps to sew on a button:

1 - Switch to the button foot on your machine. 

2 - Position your fabric and the button under the foot. It is helpful to use a fabric marker to mark the spot on the fabric where the button is to be sewn.

3 - Set your machine to a zigzag stitch, and lower the stitch length as low as it will go. This will set it so the feed dogs will not move the fabric through, and the needle will only go side to side. Another option is to use the feed dog cover that comes with some machines. 

4 - Use the hand wheel to be sure the zigzag stitch width is the correct width for the holes on the button. Adjust if necessary. 

5 - Once the stitch width is good, use the pedal to make about 12-15 stitches. 

6 - Remove from the machine. 

In the video, we snip the threads. However, you might like to secure them with a knot on the back. To do this, leave the threads long, tug on the back threads a bit to draw up a loop of the threads from the top to the backside of the fabric, pull the loops to draw up the tail of the threads through to the back side, and then you can knot all the threads on the backside. 

Thanks for reading another edition of Owl & Drum's Tuesday's Tip! We have really enjoyed providing a few of our favorite tips and tricks for modern sewists. And there are more to come! But, if there is ever a subject you would like for us to to cover, please feel free to leave a suggestion in our comments section. We love hearing from our readers. Good luck with your various projects - and use today's tip the next time your child pops a button . . . Happy sewing!