Just figured out a trick for using a $3 seam ripper to make perfect buttonholes on heavy denim

I was stuck between buying a specialty presser foot or just trying to hand-stitch them, but after 3 tries with the ripper to open the initial slit, the machine needle had a clean guide and didn't skip a stitch. Has anyone else found a cheap tool that saved a specific sewing step?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanes6626d ago

So you just poke the hole before you even start stitching?

rowanw9126d ago

Honestly that sounds like a great way to ruin a project and a tool. Seam rippers have super thin, brittle metal that can snap under heavy denim, and then you've got a broken tool and maybe a messed up buttonhole. It's just asking for trouble when a proper sharp chisel or even a small pair of sharp scissors would do the job right. Sometimes the cheap trick ends up costing more in the long run.

samreed26d ago

Yikes, sounds like a recipe for disaster!