One of the adornments in clothes is beautiful accessories. These are various eyelets, blocks, buttons, "lightnings", etc. They not only visually decorate the product, but also have functional significance. Sometimes people encounter problems when a button breaks through a fabric and falls out or stops fastening. There is a question about replacing it. You can always go to a workshop or an atelier where, with the help of special equipment, professionals will replace a broken part for you. It is simpler, but also more expensive, and it will take some time.
If you don’t have time to run around the studio and look for a wizard with the necessary tools, then you can try to complete the process at home. But here, too, is not so simple. At home, self-installation of buttons on clothes can end in disrepair, because this requires preparation and skills. With strong physical efforts, you can damage both the fabric and the hardware itself.
In the article, we will consider how to install a button on clothes, what needs to be prepared for this process, and how to perform this operation step by step. We will also give advice to novice seamstresses who want to use the buttons in their work, we recommend equipment to facilitate the work.
Button Types
First, consider what kinds of buttons are. Indeed, depending on the hardware, various methods for installing it are also provided.
- The O-shaped (otherwise ring) button, as the name implies, has the shape of a ring.
- S-shaped (aka Alpha) are spring-type buttons. There are both sewn and with tubes for fasteners.
- The shirt. It consists not of one pin, but of several spikes. Attach such buttons on thin fabrics or knitted and knitwear. Often used for children's things.
- Magnetic. These are self-locking fittings with magnetic fixation. Often you can find such buttons on wallets and bags.
- Holster. In this case, when installing the button on the clothes, a screw structure of two elements is used. They screw it into leather jackets, bags, belts with a screwdriver and use it in a holster (its name also came from here).
- Clam or block. There is a ring mount on the cover. If the button is fastened, then in the center you can see the fastener of the second side.
Set for installing buttons on clothes
If you decide to do the installation of accessories yourself at home, then you need to have the following materials:
- 4-part button
- pliers or a small hammer;
- a piece of dense rubber, you can use a plumbing;
- steel knitting needle;
- punch (you can use a Phillips screwdriver or dowel);
- wooden block.
Why do I need a punch
This is a necessary item when installing the button on clothes. Even if you are not a professional seamstress, but just decided to change the button on things yourself, then the piercer still needs to be purchased or at least find a replacement for it. It is used to make a neat hole in the fabric. If you scoop it with scissors, it will just be an uneven hole, over time it will stretch, and the button will fly out. With the help of a punch, this can be done, firstly, quickly and accurately, and secondly, of a minimum size. The button pin must be pulled tightly onto the fabric.
If the fabric has split ends, then the hole punched by the punch should be greased with glue, then the edges will not crumble and the button will be firmly fixed in the hole. You can use glue cloth.
If you decide to do sewing professionally, then it will not hurt you to purchase such a device for installing buttons on clothes, as in the photo above. This set of 11 items consists of a base board and punch holes of various sizes. Such an acquisition will significantly speed up the process of installing buttons on clothes at home. If you have a one-time installation job, then instead of a punch, you can use a steel spoke. If the fabric is split or knitted, then the needle must be heated on fire.
Step-by-step instruction
After a hole is made in the marked place with a punch, a button is threaded. A fixation ring is mounted on top. Be sure to check that it is installed away from you along the convex edge of the button.
Then you need to place the product on a dense surface. It can be a wooden beam or a rubber gasket. Do not use a metal base, as it can deform the surface of the button when the punch hits. And this does not suit us in any way.
The punch is inserted into the button leg and, by pressing, it is divided into parts (usually four). They should lie on the fixation ring. All that remains is to press these metal petals into the fabric with a hammer. Use a hammer to do this, but be careful. Here you do not need brute physical strength, since you can ruin a button. A little effort will be enough.
Just in case, buy a few extra barrels, suddenly you won’t be able to accurately hammer the pin petals the first time, and they will break. For beginning masters, such a disaster is not uncommon.
Setting the shirt buttons
This type of button is considered the simplest. Here, the main tool for installing buttons on clothes will be pliers. The installation process is carried out similarly to the previous version, only the piercer needs a larger diameter.
First, front parts are installed, then internal ones. After marking with a simple pencil, the crown of the button pierces the fabric. Then the product is laid on a wooden beam and the inside is clogged with little effort.
The second part of the button has an S-shaped pin. To hammer this detail, it will be impossible to use a wooden beam, unless you drill a hole in it. Usually, when installing buttons on clothing at home, use a nut selected with the appropriate diameter.
Repair a damaged button
If you had an incident when installing the shirt button and something went wrong, do not despair. These buttons are good in that they can be removed and reused. To do this, straighten the teeth of the crown and freely remove it from the fabric. The button can be removed with a flat screwdriver, knife. You can straighten the ends of the crown with pliers or small pliers.
Once the teeth are aligned, the button can be reused. This method is also applicable in cases where the button is whole and the fabric is torn in this place. Then, after carefully removing and restoring the button, it can be reinstalled on the product only in another place.
Press for installing buttons on clothes
The best assistant when sewing clothes with buttons is a special press. It consists of an upper and lower stand and a set of nozzles with screw twist. A punch is screwed onto the upper part of the press, and a stand to the punch is screwed into the lower part. Such a press is used for different fabrics, both thin and dense, even leather belts. Nozzles can be purchased different, they are sold separately. It is advisable to sign them immediately, so as not to confuse the size. Each set is designed for a specific button size.
Using such a device to install buttons on clothes is easy. Consider carefully how to do this:
- We install nozzles - screw the upper one up to the stop, but not too zealously, and simply insert the lower one into the round groove of the press.
- Since there are two sets of nozzles for setting the Alpha buttons, they are placed alternately for one and the other pair (these buttons consist of four parts).
- Nozzles are selected according to the size of the button. Usually they buy the most commonly used punches - at 2, 4 and 6 mm.
- It is important to correctly mark all the holes and pre-pierce them with a punch, it is recommended to do this with a piece of reinforcing fabric.
- When all the holes are punched, the nozzles are replaced, and then work occurs with the fittings. Tip: it is better to punch holes of a smaller diameter. The button pin must be pulled through it with force, otherwise the button will subsequently drop out.
Procedure
Here's what you need to do:
- First, a hole is made both in the fabric and in the gasket (if any).
- We replace the punch with a nozzle for the grommets.
- On the lower part of the press lay part of the button with the pin up. From above we place the fabric with the wrong side up, combining the hole with the pin. If necessary, either a piece of cloth or a reinforcing plastic ring is still placed.
- A counter washer is placed on top. Its concave side should face down.
- Press gently and gently on the handle of the press. In this case, the pin flares. The button is firmly mounted on the fabric.
Installation of the lower parts
First, the nozzles for the lower elements of the button are replaced. The wrong side of the fittings is laid below. She comes with a long pin. First, a reinforcing fabric is applied on top of it, then the main material is facedown.
The other part of the button with a small S-shaped pin is placed on the top nozzle with a plastic tip. After that, we press the handle of the press all the way, but gently. This concludes the process.
Forceps
If you want to buy a machine for installing buttons on clothes, it is best to use tongs. This is a very useful tool that will greatly facilitate the work of a seamstress. As professionals advise, there is no need to save on such a product. Cheap tongs often break handles. Usually, attachments for various buttons are sold in the kit for this tool.
The appearance of the forceps from different manufacturers is very different, however, the method of use is of a similar nature.
The tongs have a clamp. At the beginning of work with such a tool, the handles must be squeezed and the latch removed. In the fabric mark the places for the buttons and punch holes. Then the button is inserted with the hat up and the tongs are compressed. You need to press smoothly, but to the stop.
Helpful information
In order for the back and front parts of the button to match exactly, and wrinkles do not form on the clothes, you need to accurately mark the installation locations of the individual elements. Some use the following method: first install the lower parts, and grease the pin with chalk. Aligning the edges of the garment, the chalk remains a trace in the right place. After that, it is easy to find the desired point for the upper parts.
Some people don’t like this technique. They use a different markup method. Wizards measure the distance with a pencil or use a self-disappearing marker. In this embodiment, the upper face elements are installed first, and only then the lower ones.
In the article, we examined in detail different ways to install buttons at home. We hope that the tips will help you complete this type of work quickly and efficiently.