Buttons and Buttonholes

In this section I show you how to create buttons and buttonholes on the cuffs and collars of an historical shirt. I start with some images of these details. The instructional videos are below the images. Please note in the video I am working with a finished cuff and collar. I do not go over how to make a sample. However, I would strongly encourage you to make a sample first as an opportunity to practice. Buttonholes are really hard and I find the best thing to do before you do the real ones is to practice 5-10 ones on the same type of fabric you are using for the final garment.

For button and buttonhole sample you will need TWO pieces of fabric cut 9 inches (22.5 cm) by 3 inches (7.5 cm). You will fold them in half to create two double pieces of fabric that are 4.5 inches (11.25 cm) by 3 inches (7.5 cm) mimicking a cuff or collar. (Make sure you have a sharp small pair of scissors on hand!)

Images of the original shirt:

Right handed