INFORMATION SHEET LO4.

1-2

Learning Objectives: After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be

able to attach garment fastener and closures.

Garment Fasteners and Closures

Fasteners are used on garments mainly to keep plackets closed, but they
sometimes substitute for buttons. The most common fasteners are snaps, and
hooks and eyes. Some are decorative and add to the appearance of the
garment.
Your choice of fastener depends on the fabric you will use, the kind of
opening, and the type of garment. For example, a delicate fabric may call for
covered snaps while rugged active wear needs a heavy duty snap fastener
To close and fasten most garments, one edge of the opening laps over the
other. On women's garments the right side laps over the left; men's lap left
over right. Most fasteners have two parts-one part is sewn to the overlap, the
other to the underlap.
The following directions are for attaching fasteners to women's clothes.
Remember to reverse the positions when sewing for men. Also, be aware that
right side and left side refer to the sides that are on the right and left when you
are wearing the garment.

TYPES OF BUTTONS
There are many types of buttons used in sewing for closures in clothing
or for decorative purposes. They include different sizes, colors, materials,
themes and ways they can be secured to a garment, bag or craft. Some
designer clothing has buttons made with semiprecious stones or rhinestones.

Function
The prime purpose of buttons is to keep clothing on securely and to
enable the ease of opening and closure. Buttons are also used to on bags or
purses and as decorative embellishments on craft projects such as frames,
boxes, greeting cards and jewelry. In addition to being a convenient solution to
opening and closing garments, they also serve to enhance those garments.

Types
 Metal buttons
Materials used to make buttons include bone, antler, ivory, plastic,
wood, metal, fabric, glass, stone, leather and clay. Button craftsmanship and
manufacture were determined by the garment on which they would be worn.
Considerations included wear and tear, decorative value, enhancement, color
and design. Military uniform buttons are often made of metal for durability
and stamped with insignias and images. Buttons for women's clothing reflect
the decorative trends of the time and have been made with pearls and abalone
shells, which are iridescent with the colors of the rainbow.

Features

Plastic buttons
In addition to functionality, buttons have been designed to enhance the
garment on which they be used, whether it's a heavy coat or a child's dress.
They also come in shapes that include round, oval, square and novelty such as
stars, birds and animals. They can have loops on the back to secure them to
garments and some have two or four holes in the center where a needle and
thread will crisscross with coordinated thread to attach them to a piece of
clothing. They are simple to use for their purpose; they are slipped through a
buttonhole for closure.

Size

Themed, jeweled and fabric-covered

buttons
There are tiny, delicate buttons that are sewn onto doll clothing or young
children's shirts or dresses. Then, there are large, sturdy buttons that are
used on coats or medium-weight buttons used on shirts and pants. The most
common shape is round; however, button sizes are determined by their
purpose and are often made in decorative and themed shapes

HOW TO ATTACH BUTTONS

Buttons form an essential part of many garments, including blouses and
jackets. Hand-sewing buttons to a garment is a simple but precise task that
involves not only securing the button firmly but also making sure the button
has enough give to go through a buttonhole. Women's blouses are usually
made with the buttons on the left and the holes on the right; the opposite is
true for men's shirts. Give yourself enough time to attach buttons to make
sure the job is done right and your work will last a long time.
1. Thread the sewing needle by drawing a single thread through the
needle hole and tying the two loose ends together to form a loop.
Smooth out the threads by pinching them between your fingers and
drawing your fingers from the base of the needle to the knot.
2. Measure the placement of your buttons. Mark the spot where the
middle of the button will go with your fabric marker.
3. Place your first button on your first button mark. If you are using a
see-through style of button, place a toothpick on top of the button
between the holes.
4. Poke the needle through the fabric from the underside up, through a
hole in the button. Draw the thread over the toothpick and poke the
needle back down the next hole in the button back through to the
underside of the fabric. Repeat this step with the additional holes. If
you are using a style of button that has its thread hole underneath the
face of the button, draw the thread through from underneath the
fabric. Pull the thread through the hole and poke the needle back
through to the underside. Do this twice.
5. Secure the stitch for both kinds of buttons by drawing the thread up
from the underside of the fabric and looping it around the thread
between the button and the fabric. Make a knot with the thread or sew
several small stitches in the fabric. Remove the toothpick once your
button is secure.
6. Repeat Steps 1 to 5 for the remainder of your buttons

BUTTONHOLES
Buttonhole is where the button passes through. Proper placement and
well made buttonholes prevents a revealing gap and creates another finishing
step in a tailored garment.
Buttonhole placement begins with the center marking on the pattern.
When marking your fabric, placing a long hand running stitch at your center
line, keeps track of this while you construct the garment. Horizontal
buttonholes will extend 1/8" beyond the center line marking. Vertical
buttonholes will be centered over the center line marking.
Buttonholes are generally evenly spaced on a garment. The areas to
determine first for placement, are the neckline, center (or fullest) bust line
area, and waistline. By evenly dividing the area between these key areas, you
determine your button hole placement. If a garment is buttoned all the way to
a hem line, place the last button approximately 4" from the hem line, to allow
for leg movement.
 You can be creative and accomplish extra embellishment via buttons.
Placing a group of buttons and button holes, evenly repeated down the
garment, adds to your finished garment.

Determining Buttonhole Length

The length of you buttonhole is determined by adding the width of the
button and the thickness of the button. I highly recommend, that you test a
buttonhole in scrap fabric and put a button through the hole before making
one on your finished garment. Never make a buttonhole before you chose your
buttons.
For example purposes: a buttonhole, that is for a 1" button that is 1/4" thick
will be placed, 1 1/8" on one side of the center marking and 1/8" towards the
opening edge of the center line.

Machine-Worked Buttonhole
The machine-worked buttonhole is always suitable in casual and
children’s clothes, which are washed frequently.
A good machine-worked buttonhole should have stitches close together,
forming a satin stitch, stitches even in depth, and lips just a thread apart so
they do not fray when cut open.
For a stronger, better-looking buttonhole, stitch around a second time.
On a machine where you can control the length on the buttonhole, do this
second stitching after slitting the buttonhole (hold lips a hair’s-breadth
apart).When slitting a buttonhole open, first run the point of the scissors or
seam ripper backward between the lips; this will help to separate the threads
before slashing. Place a straight pin across each end of the buttonhole. This
will protect the ends from being cut.

TYPES OF ZIPPERS
In dressmaking and sewing, zippers are very important. Zippers are
types of fasteners or closures widely used in joining two edges of fabric. They
are also used for clothing, bags, luggage, sporting goods, and textiles.
A zipper is composed of two different strips of fabric tape. Each strip is
attached to a piece from the two parts to be joined. It carries tens or even
hundreds of specially designed plastic or metal teeth. Operated by hand, the
slider moves along the teeth of the slide. Inside the slider, there is a Y-shaped
channel that separates or joins the opposing rows of teeth.
There are different types of zippers which are categorized according to their uses.
Below are some examples.
Coil Zippers
These are the most common types of zippers used worldwide. The slider
of the zipper runs on two different coils on both sides. The teeth of these types
of zippers are the coils. Additionally, there are two basic types of coils that are
used. Coil zippers are generally made of polyester coils, which is why they are
also called polyester zippers.

Invisible Zippers
The teeth of these types of zippers are placed behind the tape. The color
of the tape matches with the color of the garments. The zipper is virtually
invisible, except the slider. These types are common in dresses and skirts and
are mostly polyester.

Metallic Zippers
These are the most classic types of zippers found in jeans today. Its teeth
aren't coil but rather individual pieces of metal that have been molded into
shape before set on regular intervals on the zipper tape. Metal zippers can be
made from aluminum, brass, or nickel, depending on the type of metal used in
making the teeth. All the metal zippers are made basically from flat wire. .
These types of metal zippers are mostly used in work-wear, high grade jeans
wear, and others where high strength, durability, and the ability to withstand
tough washing is required.
Open-ended zippers
These zippers use a particular mechanism called a box and pin to
securely lock in place the two sides of the zipper. These are mostly found in
jackets.

HOOK AND EYES

Hooks and eyes are hidden fasteners. They can be used to hold edges
together or overlapped. Hooks and eyes are available in several sizes and colors
to match different fabrics. Hooks come with either loops or straight eyes (fig.
1). Most must be sewn in place, but no-sew hooks and eyes are also available.
The no-sew versions must be clamped in place. Always follow the instructions
in the package.
 Figure 1
For Edges That Overlap:
1. Complete the garment before sewing on the fasteners.
2. Select a hook and straight eye that is right for the fabric. Place the hook
on the wrong side 1/8 inch from the edge of the overlap (fig. 2). Sew it in
place with a few tacking or buttonhole stitches through the holes and
across the end to hold it flat. The stitches should not show on the
outside of the garment.
3. Close the placket and align the overlap. Mark the position for the eye
with pins. Sew the eye to the under lap.
4. It is wide as for a waistband, use two sets of hooks and eyes or a
skirt/pants hook.

Figure 2
1. Attach the hook as in figure 3. Close the placket and mark with pins
where the loop should begin and end.
2. Use a double thread with a knot. Insert the needle through the mark at
one end of the loop. Take a stitch through the mark at the other end,
allowing a little slack.
3. Take another stitch at the first end and fasten the thread securely. Use
four strands of thread extending from one mark to the other with some
slack. These form the core of the loop.
 4. Cover the core with the buttonhole stitch (fig. 5). Fasten the last stitch in

the fabric.
Figure 3

SNAP FASTENERS
No-sew snap fasteners can be used in place of buttons and buttonholes
on casual wear, jeans, children's clothes, and other active wear.
Snaps are metal fasteners (fig. 1) that come in several sizes for
lightweight to heavy fabrics. They can be covered with matching fabric if the
metal snap is too obvious.
Use snaps on overlapping edges where there will be little strain.
Sometimes they can be used when there is no overlap by the hanging snap
method.

Figure 1
For Edges That Overlap:
1. Complete the garment before sewing on the snap.
2. Sew the ball of the snap to the overlap about 1/8 inch from the edge (fig.
2). Make several tacking stitches through each hole, then run the thread
under the snap to the next hole. Stitches should not show on the outside
of the garment.
3. Rub chalk on the ball and close the placket. The chalk will mark the
place for the socket.
4. Sew the socket in place the same way.
 Figure 2
For Edges That Just Meet:
1. Complete the garment before sewing on the snap.
2. Sew the ball of the snap to the finished edge of the garment by sewing
through only one hole (fig. 3). This is called a hanging snap.
3. Sew the socket in place as shown.

Figure 3

NYLON TAPE
It is the newest of the fasteners. It is made of two tape stips , one with a
looped snap surface and other with a hooked snap. When press together , the
surface of the strips are fastened firmly until pulled apart. This is sewn in the
shoulder paddings of dresses.