One Stop Button Shop — Sewing buttons as a | onestopbuttonshop.com

One Stop Button Shop — Sewing buttons as a | onestopbuttonshop.com

Button Types: Sew-On, Shank and Tack

Two-hole, four-hole, shank and tack buttons compared by how they attach and the fabric each one suits.

Flat sew-on buttons are the default for shirting. Two-hole buttons lie flattest; the 4-hole pattern is the standard on dress-shirt fronts, where buttons run 11-15 mm across. Both attach with thread through the face.

On cloth thicker than shirting, a flat button needs help: sew it with a thread shank equal to the fabric thickness plus 1-2 mm. That stem of wound thread lets the overlap lie flat instead of puckering around the button.

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Shank buttons carry their own loop on the back and are stocked from 8 to 20 mm. The built-in stand-off suits coats, blazers and heavy cardigans, where a sewn-through button would sit buried in the cloth.

Tack (nail) buttons are the workwear solution: a cap of about 17-20 mm is clinched through the cloth onto a stud. Jeans and workwear jackets use them instead of sew-on buttons because there is no thread to wear through.

Whichever type you sew, the lock is the same: wind the thread around the shank 3-5 times, push the needle through to the back and knot it. For sizes see the ligne chart; for holes and spacing see the placket guide; the homepage ties size, hole and attachment together.

  • 2-hole sew-on: light shirts and blouses
  • 4-hole sew-on: standard dress-shirt fronts, 11-15 mm
  • Shank: coats and thick knits, stocked 8-20 mm
  • Tack: jeans and workwear, cap about 17-20 mm

Further reading