Best suspender-button thread?

[Espee]

Please point me to it.
I put some on and there were issues. I re-did them, partially, and there are still issues.

 

[Fifty150]

Interesting. I've never had a problem. Is your thread weak? Are the buttons falling off?

 

[Bugsy]

When all else fails, try dental floss. That really works well.

 

[Shangas]

DENTAL FLOSS as thread!?

Jinkies...

I did not see that one coming!

When I sew on braces-buttons, I always go through each pair of holes at least four times, and do as much criss-crossing as possible. It might not look very neat and tidy, but nobody's ever going to see it, and it keeps the buttons on there nice and tight.

Also, if spacing the buttons is an issue, I find it helps to use the trousers' belt-loops as a spacing guide.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

http://www.fabriclandwest.com/Notion_basics/Buttons0/sewing_buttons.htm

Did you form a shank like in the link? Maybe they were just to close to the fabric.

 

[avedwards]

http://www.fabriclandwest.com/Notion_basics/Buttons0/sewing_buttons.htm

Did you form a shank like in the link? Maybe they were just to close to the fabric.

But brace buttons should have relatively little shank shouldn't they? I've always found they work as best when tightly sewn as close to the material as possible. If there's a shank it can make the trousers uncomfortable to wear (if they buttons are on the inside of the waistband) and put too much pressure on the leather part of the braces.

 

[Qirrel]

The suspender buttons do not need a long neck. And remember not to cross the threads over, as this causes unnecessary friction that will wear the threads out faster.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Ok it was just a guess. Listen to the others [huh]

 

[Qirrel]

Ok it was just a guess. Listen to the others [huh]

That is to say, they need a neck, just don't make it too long, or the threads will stretch too much and become loose. And also, make the neck quite compact by pulling tight on the thread before knotting it off.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Maye it also depends on the shape of the button like HBK suggested here

 

[Espee]

Okay, here's my problem. Black heavy-duty thread, on black trousers. I sewed the six buttons inside the waist band, and the first time around, I decided I didn't care about the thread being visible on the outside of the trousers.
Most of them held well and I liked wearing the braces. But I realized I had the four front buttons out-of-position. So I took them off and decided to try keeping the thread out of sight. A horizontal seam runs all along the half-way point of the inside waistband strip, so I fastened to the free section below the seam. A little tricky where a pocket was in the way...
But when the buttons are under tension, the interior waistband pulls up and out-- of course it does, considering there's nothing to anchor the lower portion of it. I found myself changing to a different colored shirt so it wouldn't be as noticeable.
These trousers are particularly light in weight, but when shopping around for better candidates I see the same sort of waistband construction, so the problem might occur just the same.
One or more of my ideas/expectations must be misguided...

 

[Espee]

And by the way, I've seen some inexpensive "Geoffrey Beene" braces which have button-attachment straps AND clips installed. You disassemble at three places to remove what you aren't going to use, and you can change your mind later.

 

[herringbonekid]

if sewing on brace buttons from the inside you need to catch the waistband canvas / interlining to prevent the waist lining pulling up.
if your trousers have no canvas or interlining... time to invest in sturdier trousers !

... or sew them on the outside and stitch all the way through.

 

[Espee]

If on the outside, are the buttons supposed to be a color like the pants, rather than white?
And having worn 38 waist for many years (perhaps thanks to ever-more-liberal measuring standards by the manufacturers) should I get 40 in this instance? I know that's been suggested on FL, but is there a consensus?

 

[carldelo]

Dedicated suspender buttons are slightly cone-shaped on the back and shouldn't need any stand-off distance. I've been putting the front buttons on the inside, stitched through the fabric interfacing in the waistband as mentioned above. If your waistband is popping up, you will probably have to use matching thread and stitch all the way through the waistband.

I put the rear buttons on the outside to avoid having them poke me in the back, and stitch them all the way through the waistband. If wearing a belt, they're covered up. I use "heavy-duty button thread", which I've had for ages. It is much sturdier than normal thread, and has held up well. I would ask for it in a fabric or craft store.

Re: button color, if they're visible they should match the pants, here's a source of colored buttons with the sloped back:
http://www.suspenderstore.com/suspender-buttons.html

BTW, I use these removable clip-on buttons a couple of times on a pair of trousers before deciding where to attach buttons permanently - it's worked well so far:
http://www.suspenderstore.com/noezm.html

PS It is nice if pants are somewhat loose when worn with suspenders, but that makes them a little loose for belt wear...

 

[Espee]

Hmmm, colored buttons, on the outside... interesting.
A dedicated suspenders-only pair of size 40 trousers... could be!

 

[Shangas]

You shouldn't be worried about the thread of your braces-buttons being visible from the front of the trousers, or the buttons being visible (depending on if you sew them on inside, or outside the waistband).

That's what your waistcoat is for. To cover the buttons/thread/clips, and braces.

 

[Espee]

Yep, back to the old question, Why do braces come in a variety of colors and patterns?

 

[Shangas]

Yep, back to the old question, Why do braces come in a variety of colors and patterns?

You know...I've never figured that out![huh]

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

You shouldn't be worried about the thread of your braces-buttons being visible from the front of the trousers, or the buttons being visible (depending on if you sew them on inside, or outside the waistband).

That's what your waistcoat is for. To cover the buttons/thread/clips, and braces.

That's funny because usually you wear a jacket over the waistcoat too.