Possible to CLOSE a button hole?

Posted by Nobody on July 21, 2006, 10:15 pm

I'm not the sewing type at all, and I asked a tailor (at nordstrom), but he
didn't seem to know what the hell I was talking about so I thought I'd bring
it up here so maybe I can ask the right question next time).

I bought this shirt that was a tad large (I got the smallest size sigh), I
had the sleeves shortened, and the sides and sleeves taken in as well. Now
the shirt in general fits well, but I wouldn't mind it being a bit shorter
(by like 2" to 3"). Unfortunately, cutting off this much would leaves the
button layout looking weird as there would be about 2.5" between the hem of
the shirt and the last button.

I thought about having it hemmed to the point where the second to last
button to the hem would be the same length as the current last button to the
hem distance. But that would put it about 2" below the last button hole.

Is there any technique for closing a button hole and having it look decent?
maybe using some of the cut off material somehow? I think the color of the
shirt in general would help conceal something, but just want to know what
are my options... cutting it right above the last button hole would make it
too short.

Thanks!

Posted by Veloise on July 21, 2006, 10:31 pm

Nobody wrote:
....
show/hide quoted text

Hey, I just did something similar to a pari of shorts last week.
Buttonhole was too large for button.

Found some grosgrain ribbon that matched very closely. Cut a piece the
length of the buttonhole plus some, clear nail polished the cut edges.
Once dry, I stitched it in place on the wrong side.

Not for my purposes, I cut a new buttonhole in it, but seems like you
could just leave it.

Most won't notice. Them wot do aren't caring about your sewing
technique.

HTH

--Karen D.

Posted by Joy Beeson on July 22, 2006, 11:09 pm

[snipped: description of unwanted buttonhole near hem of shirt]

There are three ways I might deal with this. One, just cut off the
button and ignore the hole -- it isn't going to show *much*.

Two, as above, but also overcast the hole closed from the wrong side.

Three -- cover the hole with a patch cut from the discarded tail. This
*is* going to show, but might show less than the buttonhole . You
should save the discarded tail in case the thread of the buttonhole
ceases to match the shirt after it's washed. To look at all
inconspicuous, the patch must be sewn on by hand, and this is going to
cost you.

Another thought: I shortened some stretched-out bike jerseys by
sewing a tuck around the chest. Which looks pretty dorky, but when
I'm passing at 10 mph, who's going to notice? If the buttonhole
really, really bugs you, you could cut the tail off just above the
buttonhole, trim the buttonhole off the tail, then sew the tail back
on. Which leaves a conspicuous seam around the shirt, so I wouldn't
do that unless I could somehow make it look like a design feature.
Such a problem in a skirt can be dealt with by setting in a
contrasting band, but you wouldn't want to do that with a shirt unless
you had some fabric left from something that you always wear with that
particular shirt.

A seam can also be hidden inside a tuck, but again, that works better
on skirts than on shirts.

Next time, have your tailor make you a shirt from new fabric. By the
time you've paid for the RTW shirt and all those alterations, you must
be pretty close to the price of a custom shirt.

Joy Beeson
--
http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ -- needlework
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at comcast dot net

Posted by Joy Beeson on July 23, 2006, 3:33 pm

This morning I saw a dress with a horizontal seam just above the full
of the bust, with very sharply contrasting colors above and below.
It worked because there was a sine-curve of the lower color above the
seam, and a mirror-image curve of the upper color below the seam,
peaks touching to make a unified design.

But I don't think anything could save this design if it were worn over
a 40 F bra!

Joy Beeson
--
http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ -- needlework
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at comcast dot net

Posted by Kate Dicey on July 23, 2006, 5:42 pm

Joy Beeson wrote:

show/hide quoted text

I think you are right. AA maybe...

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

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