Sewing Buttonholes in Jeans
Firstly, How to Choose Sewing Threads
My preferred thread manufacturer is Gütermann
This is their Sew All Thread and
it is plenty strong enough for sewing jeans
Recognise it by the creamy white spool
and I quite happily use it
for topstitching as well
if I haven’t got the time to swap threads
This is their Extra Strong Thread
as the name says
it gives extra life to your seams
on really hardworking jeans
and comes on a grey spool
and this is their Top Stitch Thread
which is silky and is thicker
than the other two threads
and is wound on a yellowy green spool
Buttonholes in jeans
are not easy for the home sewer
Automatic Buttonholes don’t look right
You’re not looking for perfection
This is one way to achieve
the authentic look
Be prepared to do testing
Dig out all your denim fabric scraps
You will need Jeans Machine Needles
or Top Stitch Needles
I’m going to use Extra Strong Thread
in the needle and for the bobbin
Despite all the advice that tells you
to loosen tension when sewing with thick thread
I assure you, you want it tight, top and bottom
I like to keep a special bobbin case
for extreme tensions
rather than mess about with
my standard bobbin tension
Tighten the screw clockwise
Testing will help you get it right
I’m using a standard zigzag foot
and also a Braiding Foot
for the cord reinforced buttonholes
I’m using the Top Stitch thread as cord
It’s much the same as the traditional Gimp Thread
Cut a generous length
and thread through the braiding hole
The thread will be encased in the zigzag
and this will make your buttonhole stronger
So to testing
Do loads of trials
You won’t regret it
You’re jeans have involved hard work
and you don’t want an amateurish looking buttonhole
To test the tension for thick thread
get the straight stitch right first
I’m using a stitch length a little shorter
than the standard setting
For the zigzag I found a
stitch width set to 2.3mm
and a stitch length of .8mm
works best for these buttonholes
Here is the underside looking good
I have the top tension as tight as it will go
and the bobbin tension so that there is
resistance when pulled - see, no loops!
As a general rule
I start the buttonhole just under 2”
from the waistband edge
with a stitch width of 2.3mm and a length of .8mm
If you have the feature on your machine
set it to stop with the needle down
Take a few stitches straight
then start to swing very slightly to the left
When you see about ½” of stitching
emerging from behind the foot
you are ready for the turn
REDUCE STITCH LENGTH TO .4mm
With the needle down
raise the foot and turn the fabric a little
You will soon learn how much is needed
Do one stitch at a time with a turn in between
Until you are more or less pointing
towards the beginning
Then VERY IMPORTANTLY
RESET YOUR STITCH LENGTH TO .8mm
Straighten up when you reach the beginning
and do a few more stitches to finish
That’s not bad and the underside is very neat too
Let’s do that again on a waistband mockup
In practice the top of the waistband
will be to the left with the body of your jeans to the right
The end of the buttonhole
should end up about ¾” from the waistband edge
The beauty of this method is that
you can do it on any basic zigzag sewing machine
Getting good
Yes, practice makes perfect
For extra strength
use the corded buttonhole method
There are other feet you can try
that have a hole to take the cord
Use a generous length of cord
in front of and behind the foot
Leave it alone as you sew
It will fall into place within the zigzag
You don’t need to guide it
If your machine is not good at
starting and stopping with single stitches
turn the handwheel by hand as I am doing here
(sorry, this is causing my sewing table to wobble somewhat!)
Using a new sharp needle
keeping your machine free of fluff and properly oiled
especially the hook race
will solve many of the problems
sewers experience with sewing denim
This may seem like a long process
but from my experience
setting up the automatic
buttonhole method takes longer
If you manage to do this number of buttonholes
and with the reverse side as good
you will be ready for your jeans
Neaten your threads by
taking them to the wrong side and
knotting or sewing in
Finally, the cutting
I like to use a buttonhole cutter like this
It’s precise and is safer than using a stitch ripper
Finish with scissors and tidy any rogue threads
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial
Like many sewing tasks
it takes trial and error
to find the best way
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