Mishlei (Proverbs) 31:22,24

כב מַרְבַדִּים עָשְׂתָה-לָּהּ שֵׁשׁ וְאַרְגָּמָן לְבוּשָׁהּ
כד סָדִין עָשְׂתָה וַתִּמְכֹּר
She made for herself pleasant-looking bed covers; she also made herself white (linen) and purple garments to wear
She manufactured robes and sold them

Button holes placement help

In my older post, I made a button down shirt for my daughter here. I was looking for a tool to help me with equidistant button hole placement. I found it.  It is called the Simflex Expanding Gauge, which sounds like it has nothing to do with button holes or sewing.  But in reality, it is made for this purpose, as well as for other measuring needs.


For a closer look,  I have taken four pictures showing the gauge with finer details.



Picture 1 shows the Simflex out of the box. Picture 2 shows the Simflex when stretched like an accordion. The pointed tip has markings for the button hole length up to 1 inch (picture 3).  The rounded tip at the other end has markings up to l 3/4 inches (picture 4).

How about marking the placement for the buttons?  Well, a tip that professional seamstresses use in the factory is to first make the button holes, and then line up the finished side of the holes with the side for the buttons.  For each hole, mark a dot where you want the button to be, usually at the center, then sew the buttons.  This is a smarter way of doing it, because sometimes the holes are not sewn exactly according to its placement , and its alignment may be off from the button markings.  It's not possible to undo a button hole, so once the cloth is cut, it's cut. Therefore this is the method that is used in the factories.

1 comment:

AngelicaSews said...

If a Simflex gauge can't be found (or would take too long to procure), a piece of elastic can be used instead. Mark lines equidistant on the elastic in permanent marker, align with where the top button needs to be, hold in place and pull elastic until the desired number of buttonholes fits the needed space. Transfer the placement to the garment or pattern. Quick, easy, and readily available!

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Training Girls in Dressmaking

In our times, it is highly commendable to train girls in the art of dressmaking and general sewing. Lessons should be given on this subject in schools, and if necessary, also in seminaries.

If the girl becomes really expert, she will even be able to make garments for herself, and later on, when married also for her daughters. Also, she could take up dressmaking as a profession.

Source: Modesty, an Adornment for Life, Rabbi Pesach Eliyahu Falk