patrick_b
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 240
- Location
- Boston, MA
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. My guess was that they weren't sewed through the lining, but every button on my coat was sewn that way. I guess they had all been replaced at one time or another, not surprising for something more than 60 years old.
I decided to re-sew all of the buttons since they were all in various states of disrepair, a couple having come off and others barely hanging on.
I went with stitching that runs diagonally in two places, between 6 o'clock and 3, and between 12 and 9. That keeps all the thread recessed in the two slots that run between those locations.
The original thread used to assemble the garment appears to be a natural material (or at least it burns like it is), I assume cotton, and fairly heavy duty with multiple visible strands. I wasn't able to find heavy duty cotton thread, so I went with the closest I could find - a black "button and carpet" thread made by Singer that's available on Amazon, 30% cotton and 70% polyester. It should be tough enough to last for a while and it looks fine.
It's pretty simple to sew a button but if anyone wanted to see the method I developed I could post a few photos.
I'd like to be able to repair some of the button holes too, where the thread that forms the edges of the hole is fraying, but that's more intricate work and I don't have a good idea for how to tackle it properly so for now they stay as-is.
I'm curious to see your images. I've sewn countless buttons but never on my Peacoat (5 y/o Sterlingwear Authentic) because they don't sew through the lining. I love the jacket but every year the two most used buttons unravel. I drive by the Sterlingwear factory/retail store often on the way to the airport so every year, I have them fix it. Within a month or so, they start to unravel again. There has to be a way to sew them so they stand up to regular use.