Renaissance Doublet/Jerkin - Part III: Buttons

This is part of a series following my progress making a doublet. 
Renaissance Doublet/Jerkin - Part I: Getting Started
Renaissance Doublet/Jerkin - Part II: Problems
Renaissance Doublet/Jerkin - Part III: Buttons

Buttoned Up

After solving the problem with the back and collar, I finally started considering my fastening options. Doublets are form fitting, so you need something that will hold up to the stress (especially with my girth.) Historically, you have hooks hidden from sight, laces, or buttons.

I've decided to use buttons. Laces would be easily adjusted and easy to make. Hooks are pretty simple, but my rough highlander outfit probably wouldn't have them. Buttons are more work than laces or hooks, but I like the look.

There are a few websites that suggest several types of buttons. The two most common are a bead covered with thread or gathered fabric. Metal buttons were expensive.

Scott Perkins's blog, Garb for Guys, has several post on making and attaching bead and fabric buttons.

Stitch demo: Handsewn Button Holes
Buttoning Up - Part One
Buttoning Up - Part Two

Marc Carlson's web site has a section called Jennifer's Stuff with Medeval stitches, basic fabric buttons, buttonholes, and attaching buttons.

Sewing Stitches Used in Medieval Clothing
Basic Fabric Buttons
Buttonholes
Attaching Buttons

After considering my options, the fabric buttons looked pretty easy to make. I made a couple of test buttons using three different diameters of circles made from the same fabric as the outer panel material. I practiced making a buttonhole with some scrap farbic.

Buttonholes
My buttonholes are a little rough, but they'll do the job. I should have practiced more. To protect the buttonholes, I used a buttonhole stitch around the slit using three strands of Six Strand Pearl Cotton Size 5 DMC Floss #938. Not knowing how much I'd need for the eleven buttonholes, I purchased ten skeins, but only needed half of them.

I used a bit of scotch tape to help mark the borders for the buttonhole stitching. Unfortunately, they turned out inconsistent and pretty sloppy. I also made a major mistake and put the slits too far away from the edge of the doublet. I re-slit the buttonholes closer to the edge, which made them to wide. After attempting to stitch the excess slit, which looked pretty ugly, I covered them with some floss. It's not pretty, but I didn't have much choice. Lesson learned.

Failed first attempt - too far from the doublet edge for my girth!

Next time I'll make a template I can fix in place to the edge of the doublet, stitch the buttonhole, and move down the edge to the next slit. I might also try using some waste canvas to help guide my stitches. My wife has used it to cross stitching on linen. I don't see why it shouldn't work for guiding buttonhole stitches.

"Rustic" buttonhole and button

Buttons
The process of making buttons is pretty interesting. You need to cut out circles of fabric roughly the diameter of a spool of thread. I had to make a couple of buttons before I had the correct diameter for my buttonholes.

From fabric circle to finished button

1. Thread a needle with a doubled length of thread (so you end up with four strands), run a gather stitch along the edge of the disk.
2. Pull the ends of the gather stitch thread to make a little purse. Tie off the threads.
3. Flatten the purse to form a disk pulling on the edges to get the largest diameter possible.
4. Re-thread your needle and gather stitch a second time along the edge of the disk. Pull the ends of the gather stitch together, keeping the purse top inside the pocket. You'll end up with something that looks like a mushroom cap. You won't be able to close the gap completely, just get it as close as you can and tie off the thread.
5. Re-thread your needle a third time. Work around the edge of the mushroom cap, pulling the puckered edges together until you form a ball. Knot your thread and you'll have a finished button.

You'll end up with buttons that have a "tail" of threads. I left the tails on just to make it easy to keep track of the button. Remember to remove the tail before attaching the button.

Button fabric circles

Gather stitch the fabric circle

Make a purse

Flatten the purse into a disk

Gather the purse into a mushroom cap

Finished buttons with tails!

Attach the Buttons
Once you have the button made, it's time to attach them to the doublet. I lined up the buttonhole side of the doublet over the button side and used the buttonhole to mark the correct location for the button with some chalk.

Thread your needle with three strands of floss and tie the end. Run the needle through the bottom edge of the button where the edges of the mushroom cap are sewn together. Now run the needle through the doublet edge, just shy of a quarter inch from the edge. Leaving about half an inch of thread between the button and the doublet edge, run the needle back through the bottom of the button making a loop. Continue to stitch loops between the button and the doublet about six times.

Now, loop the floss around the loops of thread occasionally running the needle though the strands of the loops, until you have formed a smooth neck. This will shorten the length of the neck between the doublet edge and the button. Knot the floss next to the edge of the doublet and cut.

I'm sorry, but I didn't take any photographs of attaching the buttons to the doublet. The links above have some great photographs if you need a visual reference. 

Buttons attached to doublet edge with a "neck" of floss.

Buttoned Up!