The Bernina Button Sew On Foot #18

MarveLes Art Studios Blogs 2 Comments

This is a favorite foot for many applications. I use it quite often.  I teach this technique in our Bernina Mastery classes (every Monday evening at Bernina Silver Thimble!).  I love showing it as it’s so slick!

Attach your foot.  Go to the buttonhole section on your Bernina machine.  You will see there is a special stitch, just for sewing on buttons automatically! (Stitch highlighted in blue to the right).  Most Bernina’s (except maybe the very low end models) have this ‘sewing on a button’ as a stitch!  If you do have it, it will be found in the buttonhole section on your machine.  Mine is Stitch #60 on my 830 machine, as you can see in the photo right.  

Once that stitch is selected, your machine will automatically drop the feed dogs.  It’s a stitch  programmed into the machine!

Notice the special black rubber grippers that help stabilize the button underneath the foot and keep it from moving.  The metal bar of the foot is positioned over the ‘bridge’ (that’s what I call it) of the button, in between the two holes.  Did you know that most button holes on buttons (even this big one) are the same distance apart?  Even so, it’s always a good precaution to make sure your needle will pierce the center holes of the button, and you can  pre-test it with your hand wheel.  

Once your alignment is ‘spot-on’ — press on the foot pedal, and the machine does the rest!  It will automatically take three securing stitches to begin, placing them in the left hand side of the buttonhole.  It then switches to the zig zag, going back and forth several times, stitching over that little center bar, and when it’s finished it takes three more securing stitches in the right side, and it stops, automatically!  You then just slide the foot off off your button, and you’re done.  

Yes… it leaves enough ‘give” from the thread to the button, so that it’s not too tightly sewn on.  Just give the button a tug upward, to make all the stitches ‘rally together’ (as I call lit!) 

Note:  If you are sewing a button with four holes, you will want to always begin in the front, and then slide the foot back to stitch the back two holes last.   Easy Peasy!

Comments 2

  1. Hi Leslie i am looking to buy a Bernina 630 . I will probably buy a used one. I have test drove the 530? and liked the BSR.That is what I was real impressed with.I am learning to do free motion and was real happy with the demonstration.I will come back to your site so I can see all the great things you teach.Thanks for the demo's.
    Debbie Kelly http://somewhereinstitches.blogspot.com

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