It might seem that attaching a button to a hand knitted project is a simple straightforward task. But if you’ve ever tried to do it, you probably know that quite a few things can go wrong affecting the look and the durability of your beautiful knitted garment.
For many years I avoided knitting cardigans solely because I was afraid to ruin it when I attach buttons. Having a background in sewing, I knew that sewing a button onto a loosely knitted (and most hand knitted fabric has a much looser texture than a machine knitted one) fabric will cause stretching and sagging.
Back then, I didn’t know how to prevent it. Now, many cardigans later, I do and I’m happy to share this simple method with all of you, my friends.
If you are looking for a way to make a reliable buttonhole that does not stretch, take a look at this tutorial. I used this method to make buttonholes in the band featured in the video tutorial above.
P.S. After this tutorial was published, I’ve got a message from Iris with a clever trick that she uses when she attaches buttons to her projects – instead of attaching the thread to the fabric, attach it to the support button using the same “thread-in-the-loop” method featured in this tutorial.
Then insert the needle from back to front into the fabric (around the marked spot) and into the functional button. The rest of the process is the same as the one explained in the video and photo tutorials.
To download a 16-page PDF with the step-by-step photo tutorial about this method, click here to join the All Tutorials Club 2022.
If you are already a member of the Club,
click here to download this PDF from the Club dashboard.
If you enjoyed this tutorial,
here’s something else you might find helpful:
“Neat Side Edges” Book
Learn twelve ways to make side edges of a knitted project nice and tidy. Plus, ways to fix side edges, and a way to improve edges of finished projects.
Happy knitting!
