Buttonhole stitch

How to work it

1. Come up on the edge line

   

   Work from left to right between two lines. Bring the needle up at A on the lower line. The ridge of the stitch will form along this line.

2. Go down just to the right

   

   Put the needle down at B on the upper line, one thread width to the right of A. Pull slowly and stop while a loop still lies on the fabric to the right. Hold it with your thumb.

3. Come up inside the loop

   

   Bring the needle up at C, on the lower line straight below B and inside the loop. Pull through until the loop tightens into a small square corner at C.

4. Place the next stitch right beside it

   

   Go down at D, right beside B, and leave a loop. Come up at E on the lower line, right beside the first corner and inside the loop, then pull snug. The new upright should touch the last one.

5. Fill the band

   

   Keep going until the band is covered. Finish with a tiny stitch over the last corner. The loops form an even ridge along the lower edge.

At a glance

Also called

button hole stitch, close stitch

Used for

scalloped and cutwork edges; edging fabric that is trimmed afterward; outlining applique shapes; buttonhole wheels and filled flowers; solid bands and borders

Thread

Three strands of six-strand floss is a good place to start. Use fewer strands for a finer band and more for a heavier one.

Needle

An embroidery (crewel) needle, which has a sharp point. A size 7 suits three strands of floss. Use a larger needle (a lower number) for more strands and a finer one for fewer.

Tips

• Decide which side needs the ridge before you start. On a scallop or a cutwork edge, the ridge goes on the side that will be cut.
• Lay each upright right against the last, as you would for satin stitch. If fabric shows through, the stitches are too far apart.
• Tighten every loop the same way, without drawing up the fabric, so the ridge sits in an even line.
• On an edge, work a line of running stitch along the outline first and stitch over it.
• On curves, keep the stitches touching along the ridge and angle them to fit the shape.
• To change thread, finish the last stitch with a tiny stitch over its loop, then bring the new thread up between the last two stitches.

When it goes wrong

Fabric shows between the stitches

Move each stitch closer to the last. The needle should go down and come up one thread width along, no more.

The ridge is bumpy or wanders

Come up exactly on the edge line every time and tighten each loop the same way.

The stitches pile up on top of each other

They are too close. Each stitch should lie beside the last, not over it.

The loop does not form a ridge

The needle came up outside the loop. Bring it up inside the loop so the thread is caught along the edge.

The edge frays after I cut the fabric away

Cut on the ridge side only, close to the stitches but never through them. Small, sharp scissors help.

Left-handed

Work from right to left and mirror the diagrams. The loop swings out to the left, and your right thumb holds it while the needle comes up inside.

Variations

• Blanket stitch. The same stitch with a space between the uprights. It is the usual choice for sturdy fabrics such as wool that do not fray easily.
• Buttonhole wheel. Worked around a circle with every stitch going down into the same middle hole, so the ridge forms the rim of a wheel.
• Tailor's buttonhole stitch. A different working method used on real buttonholes. The thread is looped around the needle so that each stitch ends in a small knot on the edge, which makes it firmer.
• Detached buttonhole stitch. Rows of buttonhole stitches worked into each other instead of through the fabric. It is used as a filling, and it can make petals or leaves that stand away from the fabric.
• Scalloped buttonhole edge. The stitches follow a scalloped outline to finish a hem, and the fabric is trimmed away next to the ridge afterward.

Patterns that use it

Easy · 5 colors

Tulip row band sampler

Intermediate · 3 colors

Lace heart frame

Easy · 3 colors

Buttonhole scallop frame

Easy · 3 colors

Buttonhole stitch scallop wheel

Intermediate · 5 flowers

Flower handkerchief corner

Intermediate · 5 colors

Star medallion sampler

13 patterns use this stitch: all hand embroidery patterns →