I was lucky enough to find one of these vintage Dritz bound buttonhole tools at a flea market about 6 months ago. If you ever see one, grab it up! It makes quick, easy, neat buttonholes. Of course, mine came without instructions and I would've never figured it out were it not for Cidell!
Here is the process of using the tool:
First measure your button and add at least 1/8" to the diameter. I added about 3/32" to this button measurement b/c it's thick.
Mark the finished buttonhole measurement right on the tool starting at the triangular marks. I have marked with some tape. From the triangles to the beginning of the tape is 1 1/4", my desired finished buttonhole length.
Interface the area behind the buttonholes.
Mark the fabric. You only need three marks...two for the start and end of the buttonholes (blue lines here), and one for each buttonhole placement (green lines here). I have added a center front line, the red line. Note the buttonholes extend 1/8" past the CF line, making room for the shank to set, so the center of the button will be right on the CF. You can use chalk or thread tracing. I've used sharpie....not recommended for your garment!
Prepare as many 2 1/2" squares as you will need, one for each buttonhole. (These squares will become the lips of the buttonhole.) I have interfaced these. If the fabric were a bit beefier I wouldn't.
(I made a lot b/c I was doing a demo for ASG)
Load the tool with a prepared square -
from the back of the tool, release posts from clips (like a safety pin)
wrap the square around both posts, edges facing towards the slot in the tool. then stick the square through the slot, back to front, as shown below
Pull the ends up tight and re-secure the post tips in the clips, being careful that they are not crossed within the fabric. This, below, is what it looks like from the bottom of the tool:
(See next picture for how it looks from the top.)
Now you are ready to place the tool onto the garment fabric. Line up the triangles with the beginning of the buttonhole mark (closest the opening edge) and the top of the tape with the end of the buttonhole mark (second blue line). The green buttonhole placement line should be going straight from the pointed tip of the tool at the top, straight through the middle of the posts at the bottom. I like to use some scotch tape to tape the tool right on there.
Moving to the sewing machine, you are going to stitch down one side of the slot, then the other. Yes, place the metal tool, over the fabric, right under the presser foot.
Push both ends of the fabric square to the left of the work. Start at the triangle/first blue line, and stitch carefully, "in the ditch" along the edge of the metal slot, to the tape marking. Use a small stitch length, 2.0 or a bit less. Don't back stitch.
end at second blue line:
Move fabric square ends to right side and repeat process down left side of tool:
Remove work from machine, flip over, pull threads to back and tie off.
Now, from the right side again, undo the clips releasing the tool's posts and pull the tool out.
Spread the ends of the square fabric apart and carefully cut down the center of the square b/w the stitching, from end to end. Cut only the fabric square and not the garment fabric at this point.
Now flip to the back of the work again and cut the garment fabric. All cutting remains inside of the stitching "window." Slit the middle, longitudinally, stopping 1/4" from each end and making diagonal cuts to the end end of each row of stitching. This is very similar to how you would cut a traditional bound buttonhole window.
Carefully push the fabric square pieces from the front through to the back. Straighten out and press.
Now you will secure the little cut triangles on the sides, just like with a traditional bound buttonhole. Working from the right side of the piece, fold the garment fabric back exposing the triangle and the "lips" underneath. Sew back and forth through the triangle, up against the folded back edge.
Do this on both sides.
Now your button hole is done! 
What I have done in the past is to "assembly line" my bound buttonholes by using the tool to attach the lips to each buttonhole in turn. Then tying all the threads, then cutting all the tops, cutting all the bottoms, etc....
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Bound Buttonholes with the Dritz Tool
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13 comments:
Neat. I'll have to keep an eye out for one.
I found one of those tools at a thrift shop recently. The instructions are not as clear as I would like, so this tutorial comes at the perfect time. Thank you for such detailed instructions and great photos!
Nice tutorial. One question though, how do you finish the buttonhole on the facing side of say a jacket or blouse?
Thanks.
Dawn - Thank you so much for posting these instructions! I've starting doing some research online to see if anyone is making this sort of tool (or selling them) - if I find out anything I'll be sure to let you know so you can pass it along to your readers.
Cheers!
Laura Z.
Wow, I never heard of such a tool. Now I have to find one. Thank you for the tutorial.
if I ever see one I will definately snatch it up, that is cool
Thanks so much for posting this. I have a welt pocket maker like this, but couldn't figure out how to use it for the life of me. Now I have to find one for bound button holes. I didn't know they existed until now.
Anon,
There are a couple ways to do it. You can make a "window" on the facing directly behind the buttonhole. Do this by basting a piece of organza to the front of the facing. Then stitch, with a very small stitch, a rectangle large enough to accommodate the buttonhole opening, (through the organza and the facing fabric. Then slit down center of the rectangle and into the corners as when you made the buttonhole. turn the organza into the opening and press. Hand stitch the open "window" in place over the back of the buttonhole.
You could do the same method as above using fusible woven interfacing instead of organza. Baste (with pins or thread) the interfacing *right sides together* (fusing side up) to the facing over the opening area. Stitch the rectangle, slit, and turn. then when you turn the fusible into the hole you can fuse it in place.
You can also cut a single slit in the facing behind the buttonhole and fold the edges back in a football shape and hand stitch that down to the back of the buttonhole.
Basically, the opening behind the buttonhole doesn't differ any when using the Dritz tool than when doing a bound buttonhole the traditional way.
I've had one of these tools since my College Days in the 1960's. We wore more suits then. Ive kept it all these years; I lost my Grist buttonholer, however. These are excellent directions to have. As mine are gone not, I thank you for your tutorial. Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone, with more clout than I, could talk Dritz into marketing them again? Hope this makes sense as I have the "Death Flu" as some have called it.
Hope you're feeling better Patsijean.
Actually, one of the women in my ASG group is going to try to get them to market the button holers again!
Holy Moly, I want one!!!! Err Need one!
Oh I have one of those! I got it back in the 60s when I started sewing. It is pretty hard to s=mess up a button hole using it. I need to drag it out now that I have seen this, thanks for jogging my old brain. Great tutorial!
Thank you, thank you for this post! I inherited one from my mom's stash and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. Good thing I didn't throw it away. :)
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