How to sew a buttonhole with zigzag stitch (no buttonhole foot)
Buttonholes make me a little nervous with the pressure of getting them right. They work perfectly on the practice goes, but somehow my machine can sense my nervousness when it comes to the actual fabric and decides to do its own thing, sometimes leaving me to finish it off manually with a zigzag stitch but not quite blending it in very well.
I was working on my Saguaro Set trousers by The Friday Pattern Company (my full review here) which requires two buttonholes for the drawstring. For some reason I just couldn’t get my automatic setting to work properly. I decided to try a normal zigzag stitch and found that it actually worked really nicely, in some ways better than the automatic setting as I felt more in control.
Here is a video along with step-by-step-instructions below on how I did it:
Step 1
Mark the buttonhole
I like to use the Prym Aqua Trick Markers for this which come in turquoise and white, which just need a dab of water to remove the marks.
Step 2
Select zigzag stitch settings for the bartack
Choose a wide stitch and short length. I chose width 6 and length 0.2 as this is the shortest my machine can go to. If you can get to 0, that’s even better.
Step 3
Sew the top bartack
Sew a few stitches at the top of the bartack (as opposed to the bottom where a buttonhole foot would start). Leave the needle down on the left side of the stitch.
Step 4
Select zigzag stitch settings for the buttonhole side
Choose a narrow stitch and slightly longer length. I chose width 2 and length 0.4.
Step 5
Sew right side
Turning the handwheel towards you, move towards the next stitch until you see the needle starting to come down on the right side but not yet into the fabric.
Raise the presser foot and gently move the fabric so that the needle is in line with the right side of the stitch you’ve just sewn. Lower the presser foot and then the needle which should now be on the right side of the buttonhole.
Now sew down the side of your buttonhole until you get to the bottom. Once you’re there, leave the needle down on the left side of the stitch.
Step 6
Sew the lower bartack
Change your settings back to those you chose for the top bartack, in my case stitch width 6 and length 0.2.
Again turn the handwheel towards you until you see the needle coming down on the right side but not yet into the fabric. Raise the presser foot and gently move the fabric so the needle is in line with the right side of the stitch you’ve just sewn. Lower the presser foot and then the needle which should be on the right side of the buttonhole.
Sew a few stitches for the lower bartack, and then leave the needle down on the left side of the stitch.
Step 7
Sew last side
Change your settings back to those you chose for the right side, in my case stitch width 2 and length 0.4. Leaving your needle in the fabric, raise the presser foot and turn your fabric around to sew the last side.
Turn the handwheel towards you until the needle starts to come down on the right side of the stitch but not yet into the fabric. Raise the presser foot and move your fabric again so the needle lines up with the right side of the bartack. Lower the presser foot and the needle.
Now sew down the last side, trying not to get too close to the stitches on the other side, backstitching at the end.
All finished. If you’ve used an Aqua Trick Marker, remove the marks with a dab of water before applying any Fray Stop or Fray Check in case it makes it more difficult to remove the marks.
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