I have so many people come into my shop saying something like - I can't even sew on a button. How sad it is that a whole generation has lost out on learning how to do just the basic skills of sewing.

Sewing a button on to clothes doesn't have to be difficult. In fact I take just a few minutes to sew them on.

Here is the precise procedure that you can use to sew on buttons like a professional:

1. Pull the thread from the reel and pull out to arms length.

2. Now take your arm back in and pull the thread out a second time, so that you have a very long piece of cotton.

3. Fold the cotton into two making sure that the ends are even

4. You now have a fold one end and two joins the other end

5. Thread the two joins into the eye of the needle. (Lick the ends if necessary to moisten)

6. You will now have four threads in the needle.

7. Knot the end of the four threads. To make a knot I just roll the end of the cotton onto my finger and pull the thread through the hole in the cotton. Cut off the ends to the edge of the knot.

8. Sew the knot onto the fabric where you are going to sew the button going from the right side through to the wrong side

9. This means that the knot will be underneath the button

10. Bring the needle back through the fabric to where the knot is

11. Put the button on to the needle and push the button down on to the fabric, covering the knot

12. Now put the needle through the opposite hole on the button and back through to the opposite side of the fabric.

13. If you want to come back through one more time you can or you can knot off by putting the thread through itself and pulling the thread. Do this twice and cut the thread.

Once this is done, you should have a professionally looking button!

This article is written by Judith Turner, founder of GenieCentre.Com. Judith Turner has spent the last 9 years developing a professional clothing alteration system. She is also the Author of The Art of Pinning. Now, she's developing self teach alteration manuals for anyone with a domestic sewing machine.

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