Repairing greatcoat buttons and buttonholes

[EarlGrey]

So I've come into possession of a British CD greatcoat, and the buttons and buttonholes need some serious work.

For one, the buttons were sewn, or re-sewn, in a manner that shifted one side of the coat downward half an inch to an inch. I can do this particular repair no problem.

It's the buttonholes that are causing me concern. For half of the buttonholes the sewing are fraying. I'm not too confident of my ability to redo buttonholes. Does anybody know if this is really something that can/should be repaired by hand, or should I send it in to a professional? Is this even something my local dry cleaner who does the occasional pant leg would know how to do?

 

[Steve S.]

Its not that hard to redo yourself via hand stitching, just takes time. I did the first few buttonholes on the jackets I reproduce by hand & even working with new leather, took about 30 mins to do each one.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Old military coats often had a bit of string or cord that was laid around the circumference of the buttonhole then sewn down via the stitching which Steve shows above. He's right, it's tedious but not terribly difficult. Maybe you have a grandmother or aunt or someone who does sewing?

 

[Nick D]

Old military coats often had a bit of string or cord that was laid around the circumference of the buttonhole then sewn down via the stitching

Button gimp, which is on most jacket buttonholes. I like using linen upholstery thread. A buttonhole stitch is strong and looks good, and isn't difficult, but doing it so it looks good and even takes a lot of practice. Tailoring houses often have a person who specializes in just the buttonholes. You could try an alterations tailor, who may be able to repair the buttonholes, or try it yourself.

 

[Peacoat]

Most seamstresses and tailors have a buttonhole foot they use on their sewing machine to make the job easier, faster and more professional. This is something I would let a professional handle.

 

[EarlGrey]

I ended up sending the coat in to a tailor who can hopefully do a more professional job than I. Closer inspection showed that everything on the left side needed to be resewn, and two on the right side also needed some attention (Why? I don't know. Guys typically don't button to the left...). It was more work than I wanted to put in, given I'd need to source something to serve as the gimp and have never done it before. Figured I'll save the labor to resew all the buttons with backer buttons instead.

 

[Speakeasy]

For that much trouble, I'd send it in too. Never had an issue with buttonholes before, but I'd like to think I'd catch each one before they became a major problem.

 

[Carlos840]

Its not that hard to redo yourself via hand stitching, just takes time. I did the first few buttonholes on the jackets I reproduce by hand & even working with new leather, took about 30 mins to do each one.

That's nice work!
Do you know what causes the stitch "length" to vary like that?
The bottom row on the right of the point looks like it is stitched a lot closer than the left side.

I have seen this on a few jackets and have always wondered if it was a technical thing to do with the machine or if it was caused by the operator?

 

[swanson_eyes]

Can you borrow a sewing machine? It really does do most of the work for you. You don't even have to use the buttonhole setting, just the zig zag stitch to finish the edges.

 

[Steve S.]

That's nice work!
Do you know what causes the stitch "length" to vary like that?
The bottom row on the right of the point looks like it is stitched a lot closer than the left side.

I have seen this on a few jackets and have always wondered if it was a technical thing to do with the machine or if it was caused by the operator?

the one pictured was done by hand in new leather, so is just a little "human error". the machine I now use for button holes has an adjustment to vary the width of the stitching on each side of the button hole. Guess it could be compared to adjusting the windage on a rifle scope!

 

[Carlos840]

the one pictured was done by hand in new leather, so is just a little "human error". the machine I now use for button holes has an adjustment to vary the width of the stitching on each side of the button hole. Guess it could be compared to adjusting the windage on a rifle scope!

I wasn't actually talking about the button hole, i was talking about the two rows of stitching on the edge of the pocket. The bottom row on the right side of the point has the stitching holes a lot closer to each other than the rest.
Is that a technical thing with the machine? or also "Human error"?

 

[Nick D]

Can you borrow a sewing machine? It really does do most of the work for you. You don't even have to use the buttonhole setting, just the zig zag stitch to finish the edges.

For strength and looks, the buttons on coats should be corded keyhole. Some high-end machines have a keyhole setting, but most don't.

 

[Steve S.]

I wasn't actually talking about the button hole, i was talking about the two rows of stitching on the edge of the pocket. The bottom row on the right side of the point has the stitching holes a lot closer to each other than the rest.
Is that a technical thing with the machine? or also "Human error"?

don't know if you have ever handled a hide, but they are similar to elastic in that they will stretch one way, but not the other. sometimes, you get a piece thats cut just right & the first stitch line on the edge will start out along the "stretchy" line. Going along that parallel, combined with it being right on the edge, will sometimes cause the machine to "short stroke" & create a smaller stitch length as if the machine was set on a shorter length. what happens is the presser feet slightly stretch the leather on each stroke instead of pulling the full length. once you get past the stretchy point & are going across the grain, the hide firms up & the stitches go back to normal. pocket flaps etc. are usually cut from the leftover parts after cutting out the larger panels, so will usually show up there moreso than on a larger piece from the center of the hide. If you know ahead of time that it will do this, you can lay the piece on a piece of heavy paper while running it thru the machine & it will help correct it. it is a pain sometimes to get all the paper bits out of the stitching afterwards!

 

[Carlos840]

don't know if you have ever handled a hide, but they are similar to elastic in that they will stretch one way, but not the other. sometimes, you get a piece thats cut just right & the first stitch line on the edge will start out along the "stretchy" line. Going along that parallel, combined with it being right on the edge, will sometimes cause the machine to "short stroke" & create a smaller stitch length as if the machine was set on a shorter length. what happens is the presser feet slightly stretch the leather on each stroke instead of pulling the full length. once you get past the stretchy point & are going across the grain, the hide firms up & the stitches go back to normal. pocket flaps etc. are usually cut from the leftover parts after cutting out the larger panels, so will usually show up there moreso than on a larger piece from the center of the hide. If you know ahead of time that it will do this, you can lay the piece on a piece of heavy paper while running it thru the machine & it will help correct it. it is a pain sometimes to get all the paper bits out of the stitching afterwards!

That makes a lot of sens, thanks! I kept seeing this on jackets posted here and always wondered if it was to do with the machine, the leather, or the person doing the work.