Fancy Fasteners? Look no further!

There are a vast array of ways to fasten clothes & bags. Fastenings range from simple press studs to hand sewn, bound buttonholes. When I was first teaching myself to sew, I had a sewing machine that did straight stitching and nothing else. It was great. But it meant I avoided buttonholes! I made a lovely wool jacket but it was fastened with press studs. I sewed buttons on the outside so when it was closed, it looked like it was fastened with buttons.

I made tops without any fastenings at all – thank goodness for Very Easy Very Vogue patterns where crazy fabric folding and designs meant that fastenings were minimal.

When I made a baptism dress for my daughters, it tie-fastened at the back with ribbon – no buttonholes! Fancy dress costumes were fastened with Hook and Loop Fastenings, despite what the pattern would say.

But I don’t mind inserting zips – front fly, side, back, invisible, anything! Always buy longer than you need and it can be shortened, if needed. The colours and types of zips are fab!

I have recently had a new sewing machine that has an automatic buttonholer so my view of button fastenings has changed massively.

Buttons and cover buttons allow perfect matching with the fabric you are using. For shirts I tend to use standard shirt buttons but blouses and children’s items usually get the cover button treatment. But I practice my buttonholes on scraps of fabric many times before launching the buttonhole foot on a garment. Did you know William Gee offer a covered button service too? Just get in touch with them for more details.

Press studs are what I remember as the basic fastener on home-made clothes when I was younger. Sewn on by hand with care. I don’t use them much now but always have a supply in my sewing basket. Metal or plastic snaps are the modern equivalent but are applied with a hand held gadget such as these Vario Pliers by Prym. I haven’t mastered these yet, but there’s time!

Hooks and eyes are a real classic fastener and give a secure fasten. I used them on my daughter’s Prom Dress last year – in addition to the side zip.

D-rings and magnetic snaps are used a lot in bag making, but let us know if you use them in dressmaking.

Hook and loop tape was invented for the Space Race in the 1960s but is a staple item in many areas of life. Who doesn’t have an outdoor jacket with it on? My husband’s uniform for work is covered in the stuff!

There have been times when I will admit to using Sellotape and staples to hold up my suit skirt hem when I have been for interviews and others swear by Wundaweb and glue for fastening & fixing their clothes.

What fastenings do you use?

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