The Sewing Place

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sewingj

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« on: July 09, 2017, 13:14:29 PM »
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« Last Edit: October 14, 2021, 11:16:40 AM by sewingj »

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Re: Buttonholes?
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2017, 14:06:31 PM »
It depends, if you have something like a top model Bernina or Husqvarna I can't see why they would be much of an advantage. That said they do a very nice buttonholer and easily. There are various versions of these attachments, and from first hand experience I can let you know they can come out favorably compared to modern machines in some cases. For me buttonholes have never been a 1 step auto thing, there's always a bit of test sewing and adjusting whether computerised or not, but the ones taking cams are as close to 1 step as possible.

If you like vintage machines or happen to have one I would recommend them. I think the low shank attachments can be fitted to any low shank machine, new or old. They were made up until around 1980 (at least most of the 70s) for sewing machine models that had built in buttonholer. They can make keyhole shape and straight. Some of them have extra long cams for large buttonholes. They still make very similar versions for industrial machines today. The versions taking cams can be a bit more limited in size, mine take 9 different sizes and shapes, some have more (I'm looking for the 4 extra templates on ebay). Those who make straight holes only are camless and can be adjusted to any size within the min-max range of the attachment. It's a bit tricky to double the selected length of the buttonhole on the camless type, but it's suppose to be possible.

I have made buttonholes for shirts, jeans and trousers, and it works with top stitch thread as well as sew-all weight. I have stitched through two layers of material with wadding between for a dog coat (large buttonhole for the lead) and it turned out well. 

Sometimes I have been able to do a perfect satin stitch with my black Singer attachment (depening on the thread) other times zigzagging twice around the buttonhole have turned out best. I hope this makes sense for someone who hasn't had their hands on a buttonholer yet. If you have difficulty with some types of buttonholes on your machine, these attachments will likely manage very well.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2017, 18:42:22 PM by arrow »