A missing button is a frustration that can leave a good shirt languishing in the back of the wardrobe. Thankfully, it's the easiest fix there is: ten minutes, a needle and some thread. This guide covers the three types you will meet most often, flat buttons with two or four holes and shank buttons with a loop on the back, so your shirts, blouses, coats and jackets stay in rotation for years.
What you'll need
- A hand-sewing needle: fine needles for shirts and blouses, sturdier for coats and denim
- Thread matched to your fabric. All-purpose polyester suits most garments; use heavy-duty or button thread for coats and trousers
- Scissors
- A replacement button
- A pin, cocktail stick or matchstick to use as a spacer
- Tailor's chalk or a washable fabric pen (optional)
Before you buy a replacement button, check the garment. Most pieces come with a spare, either sewn onto the care label or tucked inside a side seam.
Before you start: mark the spot and prepare your thread
The old stitch holes usually show exactly where the button sat. If they have gone, fasten the garment, push a pin through the buttonhole into the fabric beneath and mark that point (ideally with chalk).
Cut around 60cm of thread and pass it through the needle. Pull the ends level so the thread is doubled, then knot them together. Doubled thread means every pass of the needle lays down two strands, so you need fewer stitches for a secure hold.
How to sew on a 2-hole button
- Start on the wrong side of the fabric and bring the needle up through your marked point, pulling until the knot sits against the fabric.
- Pass the needle up through the first hole of the button and slide the button down onto the fabric.
- Lay your spacer across the top of the button, between the two holes. Take the needle down through the second hole and back through the fabric.
- Repeat six to eight times, up through the first hole and down through the second, stitching over the spacer each time. Keep the thread taut, but not so tight that the fabric puckers.
- On the final pass, bring the needle up through the fabric but not through the button. Remove the spacer and lift the button so the stitches beneath it are slightly loose.
- Wind the thread firmly around those stitches, between the button and the fabric, five or six times. This forms the thread shank.
- Take the needle back through to the wrong side. Pass it under the stitches on the back a few times, then pull it through a final loop to form a knot.
- Trim the excess thread. Done.
Why the thread shank matters
A button stitched flat against the fabric leaves no room for the layer of fabric that sits around it once it is fastened. Every time you do it up, the thread takes the strain, and eventually it snaps. The spacer builds in a few millimetres of slack, and winding the thread around it turns that slack into a short stem that holds the button just proud of the fabric. The load then sits on the stem rather than on the thread passing through the holes, which is why a button sewn with a shank stays put.
How to sew on a 4-hole button
The method is the same as for a 2-hole button. The difference is the pattern, so look at the other buttons on the garment first and match them.
- Parallel: two straight lines. Work through one pair of holes six to eight times, then move on to the second pair. This is the usual finish on shirts and blouses.
- Cross: an X. Work diagonally across one pair of opposite holes, then the other. It holds a little more firmly, which makes it a good choice for coats.
Complete one pair of holes before starting the next rather than alternating, so the stitches sit neatly. Use a spacer and finish with a thread shank exactly as above.
How to sew on a shank button
Shank buttons have no holes on the front. Instead, a small loop on the back lifts the button above the fabric, which is why you find them on coats, jackets and heavier trousers where the fabric is thick. If you are choosing a replacement, a metal shank is sturdier than plastic.
- Thread a sturdier needle with heavy-duty thread, doubled and knotted as before.
- Bring the needle up from the wrong side at your marked point.
- Pass the needle through the shank, then back down into the fabric close to where it came up. Keep the shank lined up with the direction of the buttonhole so the button lies flat when fastened.
- Repeat six to eight times, keeping the button centred, until it feels secure.
- Secure the thread on the wrong side by passing the needle under the stitches a few times, finish with a knot through a final loop, then trim.
A shank button doesn't need a thread shank, because the loop already does that job. Just avoid pulling the stitches so tight that the fabric puckers around it.
When to call in a professional
If a button has torn through the fabric, the area needs patching or reinforcing before a new button will hold. Our directory of UK repair services will point you towards someone local.