Tutorial: Sewing On a Button
If you are anything like me, you hate sewing on buttons. It is just an extra half hour or so of work, when all you want to do is wear your sweater! Add to that the pain when the results are sloppy because you can't get the button to secure tightly. While I could be in the minority of having FINALLY discovered the trick to tightly attached buttons, it was monumental enough for me to want to share the technique with you.
The biggest aspect of sewing on a button is that there shouldn't be any knots (jaw-dropping, I know). Apparently, those knots get in the way of a tight fit and could potentially distort your knitting. So, with that said, here's how to attach a flat/sew-through button, knot-free.
First, gather these items: a needle that fits into the hole of your button, embroidery floss (or thread) in your desired color and a pair of scissors. Side note: I will sometimes use the project yarn if it is thin, smooth and strong enough, but I prefer embroidery floss for its strength.
Begin by placing your button to correspond with the buttonhole. Thread your needle.
Step 1: Insert the needle, from back to front, up through one hole. Leave a small tail on the wrong side of your sweater.
Step 2: Push the needle through the other hole of the button, down through the knitting to the back of the sweater. Pull tight.
Repeat these two steps 2 to 3 more times.
Step 3: Flip your sweater over so you can work on the back. You'll notice a tight loop has resulted from Steps 1 and 2.
Step 4: Insert your needle through the loop we saw in Step 3. From below, insert it through and out the other side. Repeat this step twice more.
Step 5: This is my own little extra step. Cut your thread so that it is the same length as the tail. Place both tails into the eye of your needle together. Weave those two ends through one or two stitches of your knitting, just to secure them.
Step 6: Snip the tails a centimeter or two away from the knitting -- that will allow the ends to "settle" into the knit.