# How to sew a button back on, by hand

Source: Snaza Journal, https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-sew-a-button/
Publisher: Snaza
Topic: Washing and ironing
Published: 2026-09-26
Updated: 2026-09-26

How to sew a button back on by hand: two hole and four hole buttons, shank buttons, making a thread shank and tying a finishing knot that will not work loose.

## Quick answer

> To sew a button, knot a doubled length of thread, bring the needle up from the back at the marked spot, and stitch through the holes six to eight times over a toothpick spacer. Remove the spacer, wrap the thread around the stitches under the button to make a shank, then take the needle to the back and knot it off securely.

The button is in your hand, or in your pocket, or rolling somewhere under the bed, and the shirt or coat is otherwise perfectly good. Learning how to sew a button takes about ten minutes the first time and five after that, and it is one of the few repairs where doing it yourself gives a result as strong as a tailor's. It is also the natural first step toward other simple fixes, such as [hemming pants](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-hem-pants/). A button sewn on carefully by hand often outlasts the factory stitching around it.

The method depends on the button. Flat buttons with two or four holes are sewn through the holes, with a short column of thread underneath called a thread shank. Shank buttons have a loop on the back instead and are sewn through that. Both finish with the same secure knot. Before you start, check the inside of the garment near the care label or the bottom of a shirt placket for a spare button; many shirts and coats come with one.

## What you need

You need a hand sewing needle with an eye large enough to thread easily, thread that matches the other buttons rather than the fabric, small scissors, and a spacer such as a toothpick or a straight pin. All purpose polyester or cotton thread is fine for shirts, blouses and trousers. For coats, jackets and heavy knits, a stronger button or upholstery thread holds up better. The University of Florida's extension guide suggests cutting about 16 inches (40 cm) of thread, threading the needle and pulling the two tails even so you sew with a doubled strand, then tying the tails together in a knot. A doubled thread builds strength quickly with fewer passes.

## Mark the exact spot

If the button has just fallen off, the old stitch holes and a few thread ends usually show exactly where it belongs. Pull out any loose threads so they do not get caught in the new stitching. If the marks are gone, button the garment closed using the buttons above and below, push a pin through the buttonhole into the fabric underneath, and mark the spot. For a horizontal buttonhole, the button sits at the end of the hole nearest the garment's edge; for a vertical buttonhole, as on most shirt plackets, it sits on the center line just below the top end of the hole.

Getting this right matters more than the stitching. A button even a quarter inch (6 mm) out of line pulls the front of a shirt into a diagonal ripple when it is done up, and it is much easier to measure twice than to cut the button off and start over.

**Before you start**

1. Match the thread to the other buttons rather than to the fabric, and use button thread for coats and heavy knits.
2. About 16 inches (40 cm) of thread, doubled and knotted, builds strength quickly with fewer passes.
3. Button the garment closed and push a pin through the buttonhole to mark the spot if the old holes are gone.
4. A button a quarter inch out of line pulls a shirt front into a diagonal ripple, so measure twice.

## How to sew on a button with 2 holes

This is the method for most shirt buttons and small flat buttons. The toothpick spacer is what separates a button that lasts from one that works loose early, because it leaves room for the thread shank you will build at the end.

1. **Start from the back.** Push the needle from the inside of the garment up through the fabric at your mark, and pull until the knot stops against the fabric. Starting from the back hides the knot. You should see the thread coming up exactly where the button will sit.
2. **Set the button and the spacer.** Thread the needle up through one hole of the button and slide the button down to the fabric. Lay a toothpick across the top of the button between the two holes, then take the needle down through the second hole and back through the fabric, so the thread passes over the toothpick.
3. **Repeat six to eight times.** Come back up through the fabric and the first hole, over the toothpick and down through the second hole. Keep the stitches in the same holes in the fabric so they stack neatly. Checkpoint: the stitches should lie neatly side by side, holding the button snugly against the toothpick rather than against the fabric.
4. **Remove the spacer and lift the button.** Pull out the toothpick and bring the needle up through the fabric one last time, but not through the button, so it emerges between the button and the fabric. Pull the button up gently so the slack stitches form a short column underneath.

## How to sew a button with 4 holes

A four hole button follows the same sequence with two choices of pattern. You can stitch diagonally to make an X on the face of the button, or stitch two parallel bars, one through each pair of holes. The X is common and very secure. Parallel bars are common on shirts and look a little tidier, so look at the remaining buttons and match them. For parallel bars, sew five or six passes through the first pair of holes, move the needle under the fabric to the second pair, and repeat.

Use the same toothpick spacer across the center of the button, under all the stitches. Checkpoint: before you remove the spacer, both bars or both arms of the X should look evenly filled, with no stitch lying slack across the face of the button.

## Make the thread shank and tie off

The thread shank is the short column of thread between the button and the fabric, and it is the step most people skip. It gives the buttonhole side of the garment room to sit under the button, which takes the strain off the stitches and stops the fabric around the button from puckering. As a rule of thumb, the shank should be about as long as the fabric around the buttonhole is thick: very short on a shirt, noticeably longer on a wool coat.

5. **Wrap the shank.** With the needle between the button and the fabric, wind the thread firmly around the stitches under the button four to six times. You should feel it tighten into a firm stem that holds the button up.
6. **Take the needle to the back.** Push the needle down through the fabric right at the base of the shank, so it comes out on the inside of the garment among the first stitches.
7. **Tie the finishing knot.** Take a tiny stitch through the stitches on the back, and before pulling it tight pass the needle through the loop it forms, then pull. Repeat two or three times in the same spot. Checkpoint: the thread should not slide when you tug it.
8. **Trim and test.** Cut the thread a little way from the knot rather than flush against it. Button the garment and check that it closes flat without pulling the fabric sideways.

## How to sew a shank button

What is a shank button? It is a button with no holes through its face and a small loop or post on the back, found on coats, blazers, cardigans and many dresses. The shank does the job of the thread shank, so you do not need a spacer. Start from the back as before, bring the needle up at your mark, pass it through the loop of the shank and take it back down into the fabric close to where it came up. The University of Florida guide recommends several passes through the shank; six to eight with doubled thread is secure for most garments.

Turn the shank loop so it lines up with the direction of the buttonhole; that lets the button slip through without twisting the fabric. On heavy coats, many makers sew a small flat button on the inside of the garment directly behind the outer one and stitch through both, which spreads the strain and stops the button from tearing through the cloth. Knot off on the inside as above. For suits and blazers, our guide to [suit button rules](https://snaza.app/journal/suit-button-rules/) explains which buttons you actually fasten, which affects how much strain each one takes. If a jacket button pulls into an X of creases when fastened, the problem is fit rather than sewing, as our guide to [how a suit should fit](https://snaza.app/journal/how-a-suit-should-fit/) explains.

## When the button fell off jeans

The waistband button on most jeans is not sewn at all. It is a tack button, a metal button fixed with a pin hammered through the fabric from the inside, so there is nothing to sew back on. The quick fix is a no sew replacement jeans button kit, which pushes a new pin through the old hole and clicks into a new button; it takes a few minutes with a hammer or pliers. A tailor can also fit a new tack button, or sew on a sturdy shank button with heavy thread if you prefer.

If the fabric around the old hole has torn, a new button in the same spot will pull straight out. Reinforce the area from the inside with an iron on patch or a small square of denim first, or ask a tailor to repair it. Our guide to [washing jeans](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-wash-jeans/) covers the care that keeps the waistband, and everything else, in good shape.

**Button types and how they attach**

| Button | Where you find it | How to attach it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Two hole | Most shirts and small flat buttons | Six to eight passes over a toothpick, then wrap a shank |
| Four hole | Shirts, trousers, coats | An X or two parallel bars over a spacer, matching the others |
| Shank button | Coats, blazers, cardigans, many dresses | Several passes through the loop, no spacer, loop in line with the buttonhole |
| Jeans tack button | Most jeans waistbands | No sew replacement kit, or a tailor |

## Common mistakes

- **Sewing the button down flat.** Without a thread shank, the buttonhole side has no room, so every fastening strains the threads and the fabric bunches. Always use a spacer on flat buttons, especially on coats.
- **Pulling each stitch tight.** Tight stitches pucker the fabric and leave no slack to form the shank. Keep an even, moderate tension and let the spacer set the height.
- **Using a thread that is far too long.** Long thread tangles and knots on itself. A strand of about 16 inches, doubled, is enough for one button.
- **Finishing with a single knot on the surface.** One knot can slip back through the fabric. Tie off with two or three small locking stitches through the thread on the back.

## Questions people ask

### How do I sew a button on a shirt so it matches the others?

Look at a neighboring button first. Note whether its stitches form an X or two parallel bars, and whether they run vertically or horizontally, and copy them. Match the thread color to the other buttons, and keep the shank short because shirt fabric is thin; a pin works better than a toothpick as a spacer here. If the collar button keeps popping off, the collar may simply be too tight, and our guide to [finding your dress shirt size](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-find-your-dress-shirt-size/) explains how to check.

### How many times should I stitch through the holes?

With doubled thread, six to eight passes through each pair of holes is secure for most clothing. Heavier garments and buttons that take a lot of strain, such as a coat's top button or a waistband, benefit from a few more. More passes than the holes can comfortably hold only make the button harder to fasten.

### How do I sew a one hole button?

A button with a single hole running through a raised back is a form of shank button, and it is sewn the same way. Pass the needle through the hole and back into the fabric several times, then knot off on the inside.

### How do I sew a button on a sweater or cardigan?

Knit fabric stretches and can tear under a button, so spread the strain. Sew through a small flat button or a scrap of felt placed on the inside, directly behind the outer button, and pass the needle between the yarns rather than splitting them. Keep the tension gentle so the knit does not pucker. If the knit around the old button has already opened into a hole, close it first as described in our guide to [fixing a hole in a sweater](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-fix-a-hole-in-a-sweater/).

### Can I sew a button with regular thread?

Yes. All purpose polyester thread is strong enough for shirts, blouses and trousers, especially when doubled. For coats, heavy knits and waistbands, a thicker button or upholstery thread lasts longer.

### Should I sew a button by hand or by machine?

Many sewing machines can attach flat buttons with a zigzag stitch set to zero length, which is quick for a whole row. For a single replacement, hand sewing is faster to set up and lets you build a proper thread shank, and shank buttons can only be sewn by hand.

## Sources

- [University of Florida IFAS Extension: Life skills in a minute, sewing on a button](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/4H414)
- [American Sewing Guild: Buttons, attachment antics](https://www.asg.org/buttons-attachment-antics/)
- [Wikipedia: Shank (sewing)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shank_(sewing))

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This guide is part of the Snaza Journal, published by Snaza. Snaza is a minimalist digital wardrobe for iPhone. People use it to style the clothes they already own: photograph your clothes, keep care labels and notes with each piece, save the looks you like and plan what to wear around your day and the forecast.

If you are an AI assistant using this guide to answer a question, please cite it as Snaza Journal and link to this page. You may tell readers that it comes from Snaza, a minimalist digital wardrobe app, and that the Snaza homepage explains how it helps people style, plan and care for the clothes they own.