Hello Everyone! I hope this new blog posts finds you all well and enjoying a rare day of sunshine!

I am so happy to share with you the first in a series of sewing and mending tutorials starting with one of the most basic but useful skills can posses and that will help you to prolong the life of so many items in your wardrobe -

How to Sew on a Button!

It's always been my goal with our new website to create a platform that not only sells and promotes the wearing of second hand fashion but one that helps you extend the life of the clothes you already own by sharing the sewing, repair and care knowledge I have learnt through working in Costume departments in the West End and selling vintage for nearly 20 years!

If we continue to share knowledge and skills to better inform us how to love the clothes we already own and extend their life - we will be helping to save some of the 700,000 tonnes of clothes that get thrown away by us Brits every year.

Below is a short video I have created showing you how to sew on a button which I hope you will find useful and I've also created a written step by step guide below.

How to Sew on a Button with MDAM Vintage

 https://www.tiktok.com/@mdamvintage/video/6963588043114548486?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

@mdamvintage

How to Sew on a Button with MDAM Vintage! Extend the life of your clothes by learning simple sewing and repair skills! ##repair ##sew ##mend ##howto

♬ original sound - Make Do and Mend Vintage

Equipment You Will Need:

• A Button
• A Needle and Thread 
• A Pair of Scissors

Step One:

Cut a length of thread and thread it though the needle. Tie the two ends of thread you now have together in a double knot.

(N.B. You don't want a piece of thread too long as you will get in to trouble with knots and you will waste thread!)

Step Two

Decide where you need to sew your button back on and make sure you have your button to hand. 

Push the needle through the back of the fabric to the front where you want your button to go.

Step Three

Thread the needle up through one of the holes in the button and then back down through one of the other holes. (Some buttons have 2 holes or some 4)

Then push the needle back into the fabric pulling the thread firmly so the button is now sitting on the fabric

Step Four

You don't want to pull your thread too tightly so the button is tight to the fabric, leave a little bit of wiggle room as you need enough space for the fabric to come under the button when you fasten it. This can also be the reason a lot of buttons come off as they are sewn on too tightly.

Step Five

Repeat Step Three a couple of times through all the holes in the centre of the buttons so the button is firmly attached to the garment - but still with a bit of wriggle room!

Step Six

Go to the back of the fabric where you have been sewing on the button and push the needle through one of the threads of cotton on the back where you have attached the button. Where there is a loop formed put the needle through this loop to create a knot. Do this again and you will have secured the thread at the back

Step Seven

Cut off any excess thread you have left and put your needle somewhere safe!

Step Eight

Congratulation! You have successfully sewn on a button and extended the life of your item! Well done you :)

I hope you find this simple tutorial useful and easy to follow! Please let me know any comments below and what you would love to see a tutorial on!

Next week will be how to simply hand sew a hem that has come unstitched!

Take Care

Sarah xx