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Just a few observations about buttons.
Doing up buttons on the left side can be such a problem, especially if they and the holes are small or your fingernails are long. Sometimes I feel so clumsy buttoning or unbuttoning women's shirts, too.
I just bought two new shirts and each one came with a spare button in a plastic bag. One bag was secured with other labels by the manufacturer, the other just fell on our floor. Who knows where it came from. So, I took the hint from manufacturers and sewed the spare buttons onto the bottom hem of the new shirts. That way I am unlikely to lose them or use them on a different shirt.
Be careful pulling on a loose thread holding on a button. I wanted to trim an original thread and went to pull it taught. The whole thread pulled out and who knows where the button is now hiding.
If you are completely discarding a button up shirt, you can cut off the buttons as your own spares. Buttons can be so specific, though.
If you do enough button repairs, get a button guide, so that they end up at the right height over the cloth. If they are too tight, good luck using them.
Women's button-up shirts seem to place the buttons in different places than on my drab shirts. This can be interesting, sometimes. 🫣
@harriette I never quite figured out why the buttons on women's wear are the other way round? It took me an age to get used to that, it just felt wrong & the holes always seem too small. I'm getting better with them now though & my collection of spare buttons now fills many jars. Luckily Mrs B is handy with a needle & thread should it ever be needed.
@sashabennett The reason women's and men's buttons are on different sides is historical and, um, economic.
The majority of people are right-handed and men did their own buttons up themselves most of the time. Wealthy women used to have maids to help dress them, so they wanted the buttons on the opposite side because they were mainly right-handed, too.
Money talks.
However, the fly in the ointment, for me, is that I am sinistral.
@alexina Ha, ha, ha!
The button arrangements changed, but I didn't. All of my previous experience was with men's buttons.
Buttons! Hate them. Don't like them on clothing as decoration, don't like them to do up clothing, don't like them on duvet covers. When I used to wear man's shirts in my office days (very long gone), I hated them then too, but didn't have much choice. None of my clothing has buttons, absolutely none.
You may have gathered by now that buttons are not my favourite thing 🙂
You may have gathered by now that buttons are not my favourite thing 🙂
Tell us how you really feel about buttons, Becca! 😁
For now, I will still struggle with the little buggers. I don't want to limit my clothing choices by being really strict about them.
My wife insists that I do the duvet cover buttons the "Wrong" way. I bought a duvet cover with a zip all the way along, brilliant!
@alexina How can there possibly be an argument over duvet buttons, so I looked it up.
Everybody does it wrong, apparently. 🤪
I don't! The button and the hole are on the inside, always have been, the same as where the snap fasteners would be if it had them. I've got a couple of covers with no attachments over the opening at all, which feels like cheapening too far.
@finallyfiona We have a duvet with buttons on the outside, too. It makes little sense to me.
@alexina I let her do the buttons up, not only do I hate them, but my fat, arthritic fingers can hardly operate them anyway. We try to get duvet covers with pop studs these days; so much better.
You brought back memories when you mentioned cutting off buttons and casing them. My mother did a lot of sewing and saved buttons. Back in the day I think every woman had a button box/jar for spare buttons. Of course these days if you lose a button on a shirt/blouse/skirt/dress/sweater or jacket you just get rid of it and buy a new one. I will admit that I will still sew another button on if needed. Mending clothes, a talent that is lost with time. I remember my mother taking time to mend clothes, patch jeans, fix hems, etc.. Along with the button box/jar there was always a sewing box. Oh but for simpler days.
XOXO
Suzanne
Thanks, @cdsue , I do most of our simple sewing repairs at home.
I had to go get some iron-on patching sheets, last week, to invisibly patch a small hole that mysteriously developed in a nice pair of pants.
When we were in a crowd, last Saturday, I saw a guy wearing a ratty looking pair of jeans which had two big patches keeping rips on the back of the pant legs from getting bigger.
So, some people still sew a bit.
@cdsue Maybe, she says jokingly, this is a testament as to how well clothes are made, today.
@harriette could be - it's kind of funny talking about sewing and mending clothes when there are those who pay large sums of money for pre ripped jeans
XOXO
Suzanne
