My great-aunt's toothpick trick for perfect button spacing every time

4 comments

4 Comments

My grandma used wooden clothespins for the same thing on her homemade pajamas. She would clip one between each button before she started sewing, so the spacing was always even. I still do it now when I sew shirts for my kids. It keeps everything straight and you never end with a weird gap at the bottom.

harris.kai4mo ago

Honestly, that clothespin trick is a total lifesaver for sewing buttons. I tried spacing them by eye once and it was a complete disaster. Tbh, my buttons ended up all over the place, with one so high it looked like a collar button. Ngl, I had to pick out the stitches and start over twice because the gaps were weird. Your grandma's method is so smart and simple, it makes me feel silly for not thinking of it. I'm definitely stealing this idea for my next project, though I'll probably still find a way to mess up the thread tension.

thomask224mo ago

Ever try plastic ones?

the_xena1mo ago

Is it just me or do old school tricks like this always turn out to be the most reliable? I've noticed the same pattern with stuff in the kitchen - like using a damp paper towel to keep salad greens fresh instead of those fancy containers. @harris.kai if I tried spacing buttons by eye I'd probably end up with a shirt that looks like it was designed by a drunk toddler, so your grandma's method is straight gold. These simple hacks usually work because they were tested over decades by people who actually had to get things done without fancy gadgets.