I think I’ve finally conquered buttonholes. Well…at least opening them nicely. I may not have an automatic buttonhole stitch feature on my sewing machine, like on my mom’s Bernina Virtuoso (definitely looking for that when I upgrade machines), but I can get a clean, professional opening with a couple of simple tools. I wrote awhile ago about some of my favorite sewing accessories and included a buttonhole cutter in the roundup; it really is a great tool to have.
What makes a difference is using a block of wood and a mallet/hammer to really drive the cutter through the fabric. Before, I was using the little cutting mat that comes with the set and wiggling the cutter back and forth through the layers of fabric. The results were ok, but I still had to use my seam ripper to open the holes a bit. Watch this quick six-second clip to see how I open my buttonholes now:
See how easy? Just place the wooden block under your fabric, insert the button hole cutter in-between the stitching, and give it a couple of wacks with your mallet – open buttonhole perfection
After opening up the buttonhole, I snip some of the loose fibers with some sharp scissors and finish the buttonhole edges with clear nail polish, a little trick I learned from my mom. It dries clear and doesn’t discolor fabric like Fray Check can, plus it doesn’t wash out.
I’m quite happy with how my buttonholes turned out on a successful second version of my Beignet skirt!
i definitely need one of these! i occasionally use a small chisel from the toolbox, but it isn't small enough for most buttonholes i cut. and i never thought to use clear nail polish! great tip since i don't have any fray check around.
My mom knows all sorts of handy tricks!
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
I thought that this was cheese knife%)) From this set – http://static-imgs-acf.hereisthecity.com/20110721/64/five_knife_set_10829.jpg
Yeah I need one of these. My buttonholes are usually stitched on fine by my machine, but once I nag at them with my cheap dull seam ripper, they look awful . Do the slicers come in different sizes?
There's two in the set – a regular button hole cutter and a keyhole cutter. I believe it's only one size for the cutter. So, for longer buttonholes, just start at one side of the buttonhole, open that section, and then move the cutter to open the rest of the buttonhole (hope that makes sense).