How to Sew a Button (by Hand and Machine)

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To sew a button with a sewing machine, lower the feed dogs, attach a button sewing foot, select a zigzag with the stitch length at zero, and set the stitch width to the distance between the button's holes. Turn the handwheel by hand to check the needle clears the button, then sew about 10 slow stitches and tie off the threads. It takes under a minute once the machine is set.

You'll still want to know the hand method. It's the only way to sew on shank buttons, and it's quicker for a single button on a finished coat. Both methods are below, using instructions from Brother, SINGER and Janome manuals.

Can You Sew a Button with a Sewing Machine?

Yes, if your machine has a zigzag stitch, and almost every home machine does. The machine sews flat buttons with two or four holes. It can't sew shank buttons, the kind with a loop underneath, because there are no holes for the needle to swing between.

Machine-sewn buttons make sense when you have several to attach, such as a shirt placket, a duvet cover or a cardigan. For one replacement button, hand sewing is often faster than changing the foot and settings.

What You Need

• A button sewing foot. Many machines include one. The Brother XM2701 comes with button sewing foot "M." Janome's 3160QDC manual uses its satin stitch foot F instead.
• A way to stop the feed dogs. Many machines have a drop-feed switch or lever, often at the back of the machine. Some budget machines, like the Brother XM2701, use a darning plate that covers the feed dogs instead.
• Thread that matches the garment, in both the needle and the bobbin.
• A pin, toothpick or darning needle if you want a thread shank.
• A hand sewing needle to pull the thread tails to the back.
• Clear tape (optional) to hold the button in place on machines without a gripping foot.

For a full list of tools, see our guide to sewing supplies for beginners.

How to Sew a Button with a Sewing Machine: Step by Step

These steps combine the Brother CS7000X, Brother XM2701 and SINGER Heavy Duty 4452 manuals. Your machine's exact switches and stitch numbers may differ, so keep the manual nearby.

1. Mark the button position on the fabric with chalk or a pin.
2. Measure the distance between the holes in the button. This sets your stitch width.
3. Turn off the machine and raise the needle and presser foot.
4. Lower the feed dogs. On the Brother CS7000X, slide the feed dog position switch at the back of the machine. On the SINGER 4452, move the drop feed control. On the XM2701, Brother's manual has you place the darning plate over the needle plate instead.
5. Attach the button sewing foot.
6. Select the stitch. Use zigzag with the stitch length at 0, or your machine's dedicated button stitch. SINGER's 4452 manual says to set the length to 0 and the zigzag width to around 3 to 6, adjusted to the button.
7. Place the button under the foot with its holes lined up with the needle's left-right swing, then lower the presser foot.
8. Turn the handwheel slowly toward you through a full left and right swing. The needle must drop cleanly into each hole. If it touches the button, raise the needle, adjust the stitch width, and test again. Brother warns that a needle hitting the button can bend or break.
9. Sew about 10 stitches at slow speed. Both Brother manuals give this figure. On machines with a speed slider, set it to slow.
10. Finish the threads. Brother's method: cut the threads at the beginning of the stitching, pull the upper thread at the end through to the wrong side, and tie it to the bobbin thread. Janome's 3160QDC manual has you leave 3 to 4 inches of thread and use a hand needle to draw the top thread to the back before knotting.
11. Raise the feed dogs again before normal sewing. Brother's manuals have you slide the switch back and turn the handwheel.

Four-hole buttons

Brother and SINGER both describe the same method: sew the two holes closest to you first, then slide the button so the needle lines up with the two holes at the back, and sew them the same way. For a cross pattern, you'd need to turn the fabric, which is easier by hand.

Adding a thread shank by machine

Buttons on thick fabrics, like coats, need a little space between the button and the fabric, called a shank, so the buttonhole layer can sit under the button without strain.

• With a spacer: SINGER's 4452 manual says to place a darning needle on top of the button and sew over it. Janome's HD3000 manual uses a pin placed on top of the foot. The spacer lifts the stitches, leaving slack.
• With a shank lever: some button feet have one. Brother's ST150HDH manual has you pull the shank lever on foot M toward you before sewing.
• Finish the shank: cut the upper thread with a long tail (Janome suggests about 8 inches), bring it down through a hole, wind it tightly around the stitches under the button several times, then pull it to the wrong side and knot.

Brother's ST150HDH manual also suggests sewing the button a second time if you need extra strength.

Want to know what else your button foot can do? Our sewing machine presser feet guide covers the button foot and the feet usually sold alongside it.

How to Sew a Button by Hand

Hand sewing works for every button and needs nothing but a needle and thread. Use doubled thread for strength.

Flat buttons (2-hole or 4-hole)

1. Thread a needle with about 18 to 24 inches of thread, fold it double, and knot the ends together.
2. Start from the wrong side at the button mark, so the knot is hidden. Take a small stitch to anchor it.
3. Bring the needle up through one hole of the button and down through the opposite hole.
4. Add a spacer for a shank: lay a pin or toothpick across the top of the button between the holes, and stitch over it.
5. Repeat four to six times through the same holes. For a four-hole button, do the second pair the same way, in parallel lines or a cross.
6. Remove the spacer, bring the needle up between the button and the fabric, and wrap the thread around the stitches three or four times to form the shank.
7. Push the needle to the wrong side and secure it with a few small stitches or a knot through the stitches on the back. Trim.

Shank buttons

1. Knot your doubled thread and start from the wrong side, as above.
2. Bring the needle up through the fabric, through the button's loop, and back down close to where it came up.
3. Repeat five or six times, keeping the stitches small and parallel to the buttonhole direction.
4. Knot on the wrong side.

Hand sewing a button uses the same small stitches that hold hems and seams. Our guide to basic hand sewing stitches shows how to knot a thread and secure the end.

Common Mistakes

1. Forgetting to lower the feed dogs. The fabric moves, and the stitches miss the holes.
2. Skipping the handwheel test. Always check that the needle clears the button before pressing the pedal.
3. Sewing at full speed. Slow down; Brother's manuals say slow speed for button sewing.
4. Sewing a coat button flat to the fabric. It needs a shank, or the button will strain and pop.
5. Leaving thread tails on top. Pull them to the wrong side and knot them there.
6. Leaving the feed dogs down afterward. Your next seam won't feed.

FAQ

Next Steps

New to your machine's controls? Our guide to how to use a sewing machine covers stitch length, width and the handwheel. And if you're shopping, every machine in our best sewing machines for beginners has the zigzag stitch you need for buttons.