What to Look for in Sewing Buttons Before You Buy

Start With Size and Buttonhole Fit

Measure three things before buying:

• Button diameter: Measure across the widest point of the face, including a raised rim.
• Button thickness: Include the full depth of a domed, molded, or heavily textured button.
• Buttonhole length: Start with the diameter plus the thickness.

Button sizes may also be marked in lignes, shown as “L.” One ligne equals 0.635 mm, or 1/40 inch. This is useful when a sewing pattern uses inches but button cards use lignes.

Before cutting buttonholes into the garment, sew one on a scrap that includes the same fabric, interfacing, seam treatment, and thickness as the finished front. A button that slips through a single layer of fabric may catch once it reaches an interfaced placket or lined waistband.

Test the actual button, not another button of the same diameter. Two buttons can measure the same across the face but behave differently because one is flatter, thicker, or has a pronounced edge.

Choose Flat or Shank Buttons

Attachment style changes how the button sits on the garment and how much clearance it needs.

Flat buttons

Flat buttons have two or four holes through the face. They sit close to the garment and suit shirts, blouses, children’s clothes, pajamas, and light cardigans.

A two-hole button gives a simple stitched bar across the face. A four-hole button can be sewn with parallel bars, an X, or a square pattern. Four holes also offer more ways to distribute the stitching on garments that get regular use.

Flat buttons work especially well where a placket needs to stay smooth and easy to press. They are usually the easier choice for home-sewn buttonholes on lightweight and medium-weight fabric.

Shank buttons

Shank buttons have a loop on the back rather than holes through the face. The loop creates space between the button and the garment, which helps when the front is thick, padded, lined, or heavily interfaced.

They suit bulky fabric, thick knitwear, lined coats, and decorative closures. A shank button can sit neatly over thick layers without compressing the fabric beneath it.

The trade-off is that shank buttons need enough buttonhole room for both the button face and the shank’s depth. A small shank can also be harder to secure through heavy layers. Use a buttonhole sample before committing to them on a coat front or thick button band.

Match the Material to the Garment’s Care

The button should suit the way the garment will be washed, worn, and repaired.

Polyester and molded resin buttons are useful for garments that will be laundered often. Their consistent shape also makes it easier to keep extras from the same card for future repairs.

Shell, horn, wood, leather, fabric-covered, and metal buttons can add character, but they need to suit the garment’s care routine. Wood and fabric-covered buttons are poor matches for projects that will go through repeated machine washing. Metal buttons add weight, which can pull on a soft knit or lightweight rayon front unless the fabric is reinforced.

For everyday shirts, school clothes, work uniforms, kitchen linens, and sleepwear, a smooth washable synthetic button is usually the simpler option. Save more delicate or decorative materials for garments that will receive gentler care.

Look at Shape, Surface, and Color

A button can be the right size and still be awkward to use.

Smooth, low-profile buttons pass through machine-made buttonholes more easily than sharply faceted, heavily domed, or deeply textured buttons. A pronounced edge can catch on the buttonhole stitching, especially on a narrow placket.

Pay attention to the button’s edge and back as well as its face. Rough molding seams, sharp hole edges, and unfinished shanks can snag thread during sewing. Run a fingernail around the edge and through the holes before buying a full set.

Color needs a fabric test rather than a quick glance under store lighting. Place the button directly on the garment fabric in daylight and under indoor light. Cream against white fabric can look yellow, while a dark glossy button may read much harsher than the same color in a matte finish.

For an understated garment, match the button’s color and sheen to the fabric. For visible mending, costume work, or a casual upcycled piece, contrast buttons can be part of the design. Decide that before sewing the first buttonhole, since a mixed button set is harder to replace later.

Match the Button to the Garment

The garment’s fabric weight, closure area, and care needs usually narrow the options quickly.

Shirts, blouses, and pajamas

Choose small flat buttons with two or four holes and a smooth edge. These garments benefit from low bulk, easy laundering, and straightforward replacement.

Skip heavily domed buttons, sharply faceted buttons, and oversized shank buttons on narrow plackets. They add bulk where the garment needs to lie flat and can make pressing around the button band more difficult.

Cardigans and handknits

Choose a button that suits the knit’s stretch and weight. A shank button can work on dense wool or a reinforced button band. A flat button works well on a stable ribbed band.

Avoid heavy metal buttons on loose or drapey knits. Their weight can pull the button band downward between wears.

Coats and jackets

Use shank buttons or large flat buttons sewn with a thread shank underneath. The closure needs clearance for shell fabric, interfacing, lining, and the overlapping front edge.

A lightweight shirt button is usually too small and too flat for a thick coat front. It concentrates stress in a small area and can look underscaled against heavy fabric.

Children’s clothing

Choose smooth, securely sewn flat buttons only when buttons are appropriate for the garment. Avoid loose novelty pieces, fragile shell, sharp-edged metal, and tiny decorative buttons.

For garments that need quick dressing, a snap or hook-and-loop closure may be more useful than a traditional buttoned finish.

Visible mending and upcycling

Choose contrast buttons when the repair is meant to stand out. A mixed set can look intentional on a casual patchwork garment or altered jacket, but save a few matching extras if possible. Replacing one lost button later can change the look of the whole closure.

Sew the Button With Enough Space

A button should not be stitched tightly against the fabric. The overlapping garment layer needs room to sit under the button without pulling the thread taut.

For a flat button on medium-weight fabric:

1. Place a toothpick, matchstick, or button spacer across the button while stitching.
2. Sew through the holes several times.
3. Remove the spacer.
4. Wrap the thread beneath the button several times to create a small thread shank.
5. Secure the thread on the wrong side.

That small thread shank prevents the button from pulling the placket into wrinkles when the garment is closed.

For a shank button, stitch through the shank several times and keep the button aligned with the direction of strain. The attachment should resist the pull of the buttonhole without twisting the button sideways.

Use thread and a needle that suit the button holes. Fine holes can be difficult to sew with heavy button thread or doubled all-purpose thread. Forcing thick thread through small holes frays the thread and leaves a lumpy buildup on the button face.

Buy Enough Buttons Before You Start

A button card can look generous until you count every closure point. Include the collar, cuffs, waistband, sleeve tabs, pockets, and any decorative buttons that match the working closures.

Use this count before buying:

1. Count every working button position.
2. Add one spare for a basic garment.
3. Add two spares for a coat, formal garment, or unusual button finish.
4. Look through the set for color, shape, and surface differences.

Keep spare buttons with the garment. Sew one inside a hem or near a care-label area, or store it in a labeled repair kit. A replacement found years later may not match the original color, finish, or thickness closely enough for a visible front closure.

When to Use Another Closure

Sew-on buttons are not right for every project.

Choose another closure when the garment needs to open quickly, work one-handed, or sit completely flat under pressure. Snaps, hooks and eyes, magnetic closures made for sewing, and zippers can handle those jobs with less bulk.

A narrow baby garment, adaptive clothing project, or close-fitting waistband may not benefit from a large decorative button. The closure can become slower to use and harder to reinforce. Snap tape or a zipper often gives a cleaner result for those specific jobs.

Skip delicate natural-material buttons on garments that will be machine washed and dried repeatedly. Washable synthetic buttons are better suited to clothing and household items that need frequent laundering.

Buying Checklist

Use this list at the fabric store or when sorting through a button tin:

• The diameter matches the pattern marking or a successful buttonhole sample.
• The buttonhole length accounts for both diameter and thickness.
• The attachment style suits the garment layers.
• The material suits the garment’s washing or dry-cleaning routine.
• The button fits on the placket or button band without crowding the edges.
• The holes accept the planned needle and thread.
• The set includes enough matching buttons plus at least one spare.
• The button color has been viewed against the fabric in daylight.
• A sample buttonhole has been sewn before cutting into the garment front.

Mistakes to Avoid

Do not choose by diameter alone. A thick 3/4-inch button needs a longer opening than a thin 3/4-inch shirt button, even though both measure the same across the face.

Do not sew every button flat against the fabric. Without thread clearance, the garment pulls at the closure, wrinkles around the placket, and wears the attachment thread faster.

Do not use every button from the card. Saving one spare is much easier than hunting for a close substitute after a button disappears.

Do not sew buttonholes before finishing the garment front layers. Interfacing, seam allowances, lining, and pressing all affect thickness. A sample made from the proper stack prevents an overly tight buttonhole on the finished piece.

Bottom Line

Choose the button size named by the pattern, then size the buttonhole for both the button’s diameter and thickness. Flat washable buttons are a strong starting point for light and medium-weight garments. Shank buttons are better suited to thick layers, tailored coats, and closures where the button is part of the garment’s visual design.

The best-looking button is only useful when it fits through the buttonhole, suits the garment’s care, and can be sewn on securely.

FAQ

How do I measure a sewing button?

Measure straight across the widest part of the button face with a ruler or caliper. Include any raised rim or edge that must pass through the buttonhole. For domed buttons, measure thickness separately because it affects buttonhole length.

How much bigger should a buttonhole be than the button?

Start with a buttonhole length equal to the button’s diameter plus its thickness. Sew a sample using the same fabric, interfacing, and layers as the finished garment before sewing the final buttonholes.

Are four-hole buttons stronger than two-hole buttons?

Four-hole buttons provide more stitching paths and work well on garments that receive regular strain, including shirts, cardigans, and waistbands. Strength also depends on thread choice, stitch count, fabric reinforcement, and leaving enough thread space under the button.

Should I use flat or shank buttons on a coat?

Shank buttons suit thick coats, padded jackets, and tailored fronts because the shank leaves room for garment layers beneath the button. Large flat buttons can also work when sewn with a thread shank so they do not compress the coat front.

How many extra buttons should I buy?

Buy one extra matching button for a basic garment and two extras for a coat, special-occasion garment, or unusual button style. Store the spare with the garment or in a labeled repair kit.