Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: Buttonhole (and how to sew one) #SewingChat #SewingVocabulary

Across the top of the image, we’re shown eight steps to making a buttonhole which includes the use of a seam ripper or unpicker to open up the hole when the buttonhole is sewn. Definition: A narrow zigzag stitch is used to form two side by side columns of stitches with a series of overlapping stitches top and bottom (or on each side); the frame formed by this is cut down the center to make a hole for a button. On your pattern, the buttonholes are marked with a capital I shape while corresponding buttons are marked with an X. Both a vertical and a horizontal buttonhole are shown, with buttons already pushed through them. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

DEFINITION: A narrow zigzag stitch is used to form two side by side columns of stitches with a series of overlapping stitches top and bottom (or on each side); the frame formed by this is cut down the center to make a hole for a button.

This is my own definition. Of course you can google this term to find other definitions as well.

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This is a studio photograph of the American Girl Kaya doll in a dress with straps that close with buttons over a pinafore style bodice. The skirt is quite long -- almost floor length -- and under her AG dress with straps, she wears a simple white tee shirt. The dress itself is made of blue dotted Swiss cotton fabric, and the buttons are 5/8 inch white plastic buttons that close the long straps over the front of the dress. The AG doll is Kaya, a Native American girl with braids in her long hair. The shoes poking out from under this pinafore or sundress style dress appear to be comfortable sneakers. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

When I make doll clothes, I almost never use real buttonholes. Instead, I often apply Velcro or snaps (see image below) as a closure and leave the button as decorative on the outside of the garment.

However my Kaya doll (above) is wearing a pinafore that has straps with real buttonholes, so for bigger dolls, I sometimes do use real buttons.

It’s also common to sew a row of tiny buttons down the front of a doll’s garment, while the actual closure is in the back of the garment.

Here we see a tiny plaid doll's shirt embellished with miniature buttons made of green plastic. To the left of the doll's shirts are itty-bitty bags of similarly made miniature buttons in the following colors: black, white, yellow, purple, orange, and pink. These items lay on a pale blue cutting mat beside a thimble, to demonstrate their miniscule size. The tiny plastic buttons are approximately 3 millimeters in diameter each. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: Do you adorn your doll clothes with buttons? Do you use them in conjunction with other forms of closures, like snaps or Velcro? Or do you actually make tiny buttonholes?

Please come back to this blog post at the end of next week, so you can see what comments other people left!

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Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.