Lesson 12

FASTENERS

Fasteners are the devices used to keep the placket/openings close. When an opening has been
completed and pressed, it is ready to have the fastenings attached. Fastenings can be put on so that
they show (decorative and conspicuous) or they may be concealed (inconspicuous) between the
over and underlap of the opening. There are various types of fasteners. The common fasteners are
buttons and buttonholes or loops, eyelets and strings/cords, tie strings, zip fasteners, and can be put
on in either way. Others are always concealed such as press studs, hooks and eyes, or bars.

How to choose fasteners

(1)Choose so that they are suitable in size. Openings with narrow wraps require smaller fastenings
than those with wide wraps or made in heavier materials.

(2)Fasteners should be selected to suit the colour, design and texture of the fabric, and the position
of the placket.

(3)While selecting fasteners consider the age and sex of the wearer. For example buttons and
buttonholes are generally used for men’s shirts, trousers etc. just as press buttons and hooks and
eyes are commonly used for ladies’ saree blouse/ choli and children’s dresses.

(4)The style and use of the garment; they should be suitable to the type of garment or article,
example non-metal fastenings are preferable on undergarments and children’s clothing; plain
buttons look better on patterned materials than decorative ones.

Rules to attach fasteners

(1) Fasteners should be fixed on to double material for strength.

(2) They should be fixed in such a way that the right side of the garment laps over the left side for
women and the left laps over the right for men.

(3) They should be sufficient in number to keep the opening closed.(Close-fitting clothes, therefore,
will require more fastenings than loose ones)

(4) They are sewn exactly opposite one another in order that the opening will be flat when fastened.

BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES

These have functional as well as decorative uses. Contrasting coloured or self-coloured buttons in
different shapes may be arranged in groups or at regular intervals to produce an attractive effect.

Buttons are small fasteners that are made up of plastic, metal, wood or sea shell which secures two
pieces of fabric together. They should be selected to suit the colour, design and texture of the fabric
and the style of the garment.

Buttonholes are slits cut in garments to hold buttons in place. The raw edges of the slits are finished
with buttonhole stitches, zigzag stitches or fabric binding made of self or contrasting material.

Direction of buttonholes and buttons Buttonholes are needed on all types of articles and clothing
and should be worked on the overlap before the buttons are fixed. Buttonholes are made in a
horizontal or vertical position to the amount and direction of the strain they will undergo in wear.
Horizontally buttonholes (fig. A) are made when there is strain in that direction such
as on closely fitting bands, cuffs, yokes and dress bodice. It holds the front securely
even on tight fitting garments. They begin about 1 /8 ″ (inch) outside the centre
front line, cross the centre front line and extend into the garment. Vertical
buttonholes are worked on the lengthwise grain and exactly on the centre front line
parallel to centre front line parallel to the centre front edge (fig. B). They are used
for shirts, pants, fly openings, loosely fitting garments etc.
where there is no great strain across the garment. It is
also used when the hem or facing on the opening is made on to the right
side of the garment, example at the front of a shirt blouse, so that the
buttonholes can be placed centrally. Whether the buttonhole is vertical
or horizontal, buttons are placed exactly on the centre front line. (Fig. A &
B) The allowance of material beyond the centre front line should be at
least ½ inch or half the diameter of the button used.

Position and Length of the buttonhole

The length of the buttonhole should be the diameter of the button plus about 1 /8inch (or the
thickness of the button). The easiest way to determine the correct size of a buttonhole is to cut a slit
in a scrap of fabric and adjust the length until the button slips through easily. The space between the
edge of an opening and the buttonhole should be at least half the width of the button, so that the
button does not project beyond the edge when fastened. The position of the buttonholes should be
marked with a crease, pins or tacking and they should be evenly spaced. When a number of
buttonholes are to be made horizontally, example on the front opening of a blouse, two lines of
tacking to mark the length of the buttonholes will ensure that they are exactly in line.

TYPES OF BUTTONHOLES

There are two types of buttonhole: (1) Worked buttonhole (2) Fabric or Bound buttonholes.

Worked buttonholes: Buttonholes are either worked by hand or by

machine. Ready-made shirts usually have machine worked buttonholes.
They can be done with an automatic machine or with an ordinary machine
which has a buttonhole attachment.

Hand worked buttonholes: are used where details of construction are to be

finely finished. They should be made with matching thread and should have
stitches of uniform length worked close together. They are made by cutting a
slit in double material and working buttonhole stitch – a strong knotted stitch
– to cover the raw edges. Accurate, care and a little practice will soon give
the skill required to make buttonholes with confidence. It is essential for a needlewoman to be able
to make them easily because they are so widely used and are excellent on children’s clothing, men’s
garments, underclothing and household articles. They are worked after the garment is completed.
Avoid these on fabrics that stretch and fray.

Steps in constructing a worked buttonhole:

For a horizontal buttonhole, proceeds as follows:

1) Mark the buttonholes lightly with a pencil as shown in Fig. A&B

2) Machine stitch or back stitch a narrow rectangle of 1 /8 inch width around the
buttonhole marking (ABCD in Fig. C). This stitching prevents the material from fraying
and also serves as a guide line for keeping the buttonhole stitches in a uniform size of
about 1 /16 inch on either side of the button hole slit.

3) Cut on the buttonhole line carefully following a straight

thread.

4) Fasten the thread on the wrong side with tiny back stitches and work
buttonhole stitches starting near the square end (at A in Fig. D) and
going on to the round end. To make the buttonhole stitch, proceed as
follows: Insert the needle in the slit and bring out the point just outside
the guide line stitching. Circle the working thread under the needle
point as in Fig. D and pull out the needle towards you. Before the thread
is completely drawn, pull it away from you with a slight jerk to the left
so that a firm knot will be formed at the cut edge of the slit.

5) When you reach point B at the end of the slit, work 5 to 7 unknotted
stitches till point C to make the round end. (Fig. E shows the method of
working the stitches at the round end.)

6) Buttonhole stitch the other side of the buttonhole towards the

square end.

7) Near the square end make a bar tack by taking two or three stitches from the
end of the last stitch to the end of the stitch on the opposite side. (Fig. F)

8) Work buttonhole stitches over these stitches with the knot and pull the
thread out on to the wrong side (Fig. G and H). (Instead of buttonhole stitches,
you could work just one back stitch across the centre of the bar tack to hold it in
place as in Fig. I, fasten the thread end on the wrong side by running the needle
through under the completed stitches.

Worked buttonholes may be made in three different ways-

(1)Keyhole buttonholes (with one round and one square end): These are used
whenever there is sufficient strain to pull the button to one end of the
buttonhole. A buttonhole should be planned with the round end nearest the
edge of the opening so that it will take the shank of the button when fastened.
(2) Buttonholes with two square ends: which are used
when there is not much strain on the buttonhole in any
direction and the button will remain in the center of the buttonholes when
fastened.

(3)Buttonholes with two round ends: These are exactly used to fasten buttons unless
there is liable to be strain at both ends of the buttonhole. They are used chiefly for
working slots for ribbon, braid and elastic

Fabric or bound buttonholes: Bound buttonholes are not as strong as worked

buttonholes and are not very satisfactory on garments which are constantly
washed. They are more decorative than worked buttonholes and are used
chiefly on adult’s clothing, particularly outer clothes. Buttonholes can be bound with self or
contrasting material, either in colour or texture, and are often designed to be a style feature
(decorative). The decorative possibility arises from the use of a strip of material to cover and bind
the raw edges of the hole. The binding shows on the right side in the finished buttonhole. Usually
the binding strip is cut so that its lengthwise grain runs along the length of the buttonhole. Checks
and stripes look better, if the strip is cut on true bias. In making this type of buttonhole, the facing
can be applied only after all the buttonholes are finished. To provide a double layer of cloth for
making the buttonholes an interfacing is used. The facing finally covers and conceals the working on
the wrong side. The bind is approximately 1 /8 inch in depth when finished, but can be made wider if
liked. The buttonhole is worked on single material and is neatened on the wrong side by a facing or
hem.

Instructions for working bound buttonholes

(1)Mark the position of the buttonholes with tacking on the right side of the material. Make a back
stitch at the beginning and end of this tacking which marks the length will be visible on the wrong
side as well. (Fig. A & B of direction of buttonholes)

(2)Cut strips for binding 2 inch wide and at least 1inch longer than buttonhole. The strips should
have the selvedge threads along the length or they should be cut on the true cross.

(3) Baste the strip to the right side of the garment so that the centre of the
strip is directly over the tacking which marks the length of the buttonhole. The
right side of the strip should be against the garment. Baste over the whole of
the strip. Fix the entire strip in position. (Fig. A)

(4)Machine all the strips in position .Turn the work to the wrong side and machine
round the tacking which marks the length of the buttonhole, keeping the stitching 1
/8 inch away from the tacking. The ends should have square corners so that when
finished a neat rectangle of stitching is seen on both sides of the work. It is best to
begin stitching in the middle of one side so that the ending off does not occur at a
corner. (Fig. B). When a wider bind is required the stitching must be done a corresponding distance
from the tacking, example ¼ inch away from the tacking to give a ¼ inch bind.

(5)Cut and bind each buttonhole .Cut through the strip and garment from the centre of the
tacking to within 1 /8 inch of each end. From this point cut diagonally right into the corners
up to the stitching. (Fig.B)

Turn the strip through to the wrong side, wrapping the strip closely over the raw edges and
lay the strip flat on the wrong side .Pull the ends well over to the wrong side and form a small
inverted pleat at each end. Pin in position and tack all-round the buttonhole. (Fig. C)

Secure the strip in place either

(a) With small running stitches taken through the strip and the turnings inside the bind, taking care
that the stitches do not show on the right side. (Make one or two firm stitches across the pleats to
hold them together.)

(b) With machining round the buttonhole on the right side, working the stitches in the seam or on
the edge of the seam. Draw the edges of the buttonhole together with fishbone tacking. Press the
buttonholes and trim down the strip to extend about ½ inch beyond the slit.
(6)Fix the facing in position at the back of the buttonholes. Fix the facing to the
garment and baste it flat over the buttonholes. Put a pin in each end of the buttonhole
to show its length in the facing. Cut through the facing only, between the pins to within
a 1 /8 inch of them. From this point cut diagonally to the depth of the bind at the
corners of the buttonholes. Note that the cut is the same shape and
size as the one made when the buttonholes were cut. (Fig. E) Turn
under the cut edges and hem the facing closely to the binding. Take special care
that the facing is not drawn down tightly because this would spoil the set of the
buttonholes on the right side. (Fig. F

Buttons are made in a wide variety of materials, including metal, bone, wood, rubber, plastics,
leather, linen etc. Though made in many shape and materials, buttons are basically of two types-
sew through (Fig. A & B) and shank (Fig. C).Sew – through buttons are flat and are pierced with two
or four holes through which the button is sewn on. The purpose of the shank is to make a space
between the material and the button to allow for the thickness of the overlap when the button is
fastened. For flat buttons shank is formed with thread. Buttons maybe made of fabric. On dresses
buttons covered with self-fabric may be used Fig. D. If you provide scraps of fabric to well establish
tailors, they get the buttons covered by a special machine. Covering may be done by hand also.

Marking position of buttons (Fig. A): To mark position for buttons, place
overlap over the underlap so that the centre front lines coincides. If the
buttonholes are horizontal insert a pin through the buttonhole about 1 /8 inch
from the end which is near the centre front (see buttonhole A in Fig. A). For
vertical buttonhole put the pin through the middle of the buttonhole (B in Fig.
A), lift overlap and mark position of button on the pin mark.

Link buttons (Fig. H): These are used as links for cuffs or for the front of the coat or a jacket.
There should be two buttonholes, one on each side of the placket opening. To make the link,
hold two buttons the desired distance apart and connect the buttons
together with strands of thread. Work buttonhole stitches across the
strands and fasten the thread.

Buttons and loops Instead of buttonholes, loops may be used to fasten buttons.
These may be made of thread or cloth. The loops to fasten a button are
generally made on the edge of an article or garment, but occasionally it is
concealed by working it on the wrong side of the overlap a short way in from the
edge.

Thread loops (Fig. A): The thread loops is an inconspicuous fastening which is
most often found at the neck edge of collars. To make a thread loop, sew four or
five strands of matching thread on the underlap in the correct position (A in fig.
A), then work buttonholes stitch over these strands (B&C in fig. A)
Fabric/Worked loops (Fig. B-F): are made when the opening is completed and after the buttons have
been sewn on. These are made of strips of bias fabric stitched and turned inside out to form a
narrow tube. The fabric used may be of self-material or harmonizing material. This type of fastening
adds a decorative trim to children’s and women’s garments.

Construction of a cloth loop proceeds through the following steps:

(1)Cut a strip of bias fabric about 1 inch wide. Fold in half lengthwise, right sides
together and stitch about 1 /8 inch from the folded edge down the length of the strip.
Trim seam allowances.

Fabric/Worked loops (Fig. B-F): are made when the opening is completed and after the
buttons have been sewn on. These are made of strips of bias fabric stitched and turned
inside out to form a narrow tube. The fabric used may be of self-material or
harmonizing material. This type of fastening adds a decorative trim to children’s and
women’s garments.

Construction of a cloth loop proceeds through the following steps:

(1)Cut a strip of bias fabric about 1 inch wide. Fold in half lengthwise, right sides
together and stitch about 1/8 inch from the folded edge down the length of the strip.

Trim seam allowances.

(2) Attach a strong thread to one end of tube at the seam. Turn the tube inside out by
drawing the thread right through the tubing with a heavy needle (Fig. C)

(3) Cut the tube into lengths equal to the finished length of the loop plus seam
allowance.

(4) Place these pieces on the right side of the overlap, shaped as loops turned away
from the edge of the opening (Fig. D)

(5) Tack the facing right side down over loop and machine along seam line.

(6) Turn facing to wrong side and tack in position. Loops will be now extending from placket edge.
(Fig. E) The loop should be very firm when finished .Buttons matching to the fabric loops is fixed on
the underlap. (Fig. F) shows the button and loop fastened.

Corded loops: These are made the same way, as fabric loops except that a cording is
placed inside the bias strip.

Corded frogs / Mandarin buttons (Fig. G): These are very decorative and can be made in
varied designs. Button loop of the frog should be long enough to slip over button
smoothly.
OTHER TYPES OF FASTENERS

Snaps or press buttons/press studs: Press studs are a convenient and quick method of
fastening. They are used on almost all types of clothing and are used to hold edges
that will not have much strain when the garment is worn. They will open out if used on
snug fitting parts and need carefully handling during laundering to prevent them
becoming bent and broken. These are available in various sizes and weights. They are
either black or silver. Of the two parts of a press stud, one has a knob on a flat base,
which should be sewn to the overlap (A in Fig. A) and the other has a socket and is
sewn on the underlap (B in Fig. B).

To fix both parts of the buttons four to five buttonhole stitches should be worked through each hole.
While passing from one hole to another carry the thread by passing needle under the button. After
stitching through all the holes, thread should be fastened securely on the wrong side.

Hooks and Eyes or Bars:

Hooks and eyes or bars are a very secure way of fastening close fitting outer clothing which because
of the strain (especially crosswise strain), would not remain close with press studs.

Hooks and eyes are used on opening without a wrap that is the slit opening at the
neck, or the petersham band inside the waist of a skirt. Hooks and bars are used on
opening which have a wrap. Either metal or worked bars may be used, but worked
bars are a little flatter and are especially suitable for delicate fabrics. They form an
inconspicuous closing and should be placed close to each other without much space
in between to prevent the opening from gaping. The hook should be placed 1 /8 inch
inside the finished edges of the overlap on the wrong side.

Work buttonhole stitches or overcasting stitches around the rings of the

hooks. Then slip the needle through the fabric and bring it out near the
hook end. Take several back stitches across and under the loop of the
hook to hold it down firmly. Fasten off with small back stitches. The
stitches should not show on the right side.

The eyes may be of metal or worked with thread. Thread eyes (Fig. B) are used on
blouses and dresses made of fine fabrics. They can be made to match the color of the
garment so as to be inconspicuous.

To find the exact position for stitching this eye, lap the edge with hook over the underlap
in proper position and mark the end of the hook with a pin. At this position work a few back stitches
long enough for the hook to pass and then work buttonhole stitches over these threads.

Fasten the thread firmly on wrong side. Metal eyes come in two types. The straight eye
is used for overlapping edges (Fig. C) and the round eye for edges that meet each other
(Fig. D). The straight eye is positioned the same way as the thread eye, but the round
eye is placed on the wrong side of the underlap and must extend 1 /8 inch beyond the
edge of the underlap. To fix metal eyes work buttonhole.
Application: Task 1
Fasteners Cloth samples to be made of the following:
Button and buttonhole, hook and eye, press button, eyelet and cord, Hook and Loop Tape
(Velcro tape) and corded frogs [fasteners to be attached on a placket of length 5″ or on the
samples of plackets]
CLOSURE

W.H.E.W. We Have Ended Well Reflect on what you have learned after taking up this lesson through
making a 5 paragraph reaction statement and recommendation on the wiring installation in your
house. (Point System: content 25 points, Organization 10 points and grammar 5 points = 40 points)
attached rubrics to you work and work on it if you think this is for you.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have just finished this lesson.