Installing Hardware Archives

Buttons, Buttonholes and Snaps...Oh My - All Our Sewing Tutorials

15 August 2019 by Amy Leave a Comment

Hey all! Amy here. We get a lot of questions about various techniques for installing buttons, buttonholes, snaps and the like, and we generally reply "Oh, we have a tutorial for that!" In fact, we probably have more than one (for your reference, we have a complete page of all our sewing tutorials in one place!) In the coming weeks we're going to be putting out a series of blog tutorial round-ups that you can bookmark for easy reference. So without further ado, let's install some closures!

SNAP BUTTONS

The Kelly Anorak has a full Sewalong which includes this snap-setting tutorial; we show you how to use the snap setting tools that are included with the Kelly Anorak Kit but it would be the same process installing any kind of ring snap with hand tools.

JEANS BUTTONS

This tutorial is from early days of a Ginger Jeans sewalong but nothing has changed in terms of what you need to install a jeans button the old fashioned way: with a hammer!

BUTTON FLY

This tutorial for sewing a button fly is for the Morgan Jeans but is a good resource for any button fly in the game.

INDUSTRIAL HARDWARE PRESS

This is a tutorial where we show you how to use this cool industrial hand press machine. A hand press can install your jeans buttons but if you get the right dies you can also use it to install rivets and snaps.

BUTTONHOLES

Here you can find our tutorial on how to sew buttonholes and all the tips and tricks for getting them to look RTW perfect.

DENIM BUTTONHOLES

This tutorial covers a lot of the same stuff as the post above, but specific to denim.

HACKING A BUTTON PLACKET

The Jenny overalls were designed with side zips but Heather turned her pair into a button front. You can too with this tutorial!

HIP BUTTONS

Again, the Jenny overalls have instructions for a lapped zipper but it's an easy hack to use hip buttons instead!.

BUTTON PLACKET

This tutorial is part of the Kalle sewalong for sewing a button placket but has lots of good tips for keeping everything looking polished.

Any tutorials you'd like to see for closures?

Pin this for later!

How to Install Overall Buckles & Hardware

5 June 2018 by Amy Leave a Comment

Hey guys, Amy here. So, you're trucking along, making your Jenny Overalls and they turned out great! You made a bib! You've installed your jeans buttons! Last step! You go to put on your strap hardware and... "wait a sec" ... "I should know" ... "I've seen these my whole life" ... "How the heck?!" Don't worry! You're not alone, I had to google this, twice. Turns out installing overalls buckles is not 100% intuitive. There are a few little tricks that we learned along the way, so this is a quick little tutorial on how to put the finishing touch (and dare I say the most important touch!) on your new overalls.

This set of hardware is the one we are selling in our Jenny overalls hardware kit and it has three bars along the buckle. We've also seen buckles with only two bars, or those that integrate the slider into the buckle itself; as a result, the following method may differ slightly depending on the style of your buckle.

Once you have attached your straps (and checked the length) slide on the slider bars (as seen in the photo below) over the middle bar. This is easier to do before you have finished the ends of your straps.

Next, slide on the buckle by going under the first bar, over the second bar and under the last bar.

It's easier to do the next step if you give yourself some slack, so pull the fabric through the slider bar and tuck the end through the middle piece; you will be able to adjust everything after.

To finish the strap, fold the raw end under by 1/4" and press well.

Fold under the same amount again. Repeat for the other strap.

Using the same thread as before, topstitch in place at 1/4", backstitching at the beginning and end.

Now for the fun part! Go ahead and try them on and adjust everything the straps as necessary so they are the proper length for you.

Now get out there and milk the cows! (Or go to the grocery store and buy some milk, it's 2018). Hope you feel cute in your new overalls either way!

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Installing Jeans Rivets & Buttons | Ginger Jeans Sewalong

29 November 2014 by Heather Lou 9 Comments

Ahhhh.... the final post in our rather epic Ginger Sewalong series! I worried at times that I've been guilty of information overload but I hope I've helped to demystify the jeans making process for you. It's been fun, hasn't it? Making jeans is the best.

A few pieces of business before we proceed with the last step. Please be sure to upload your finished or progress pics to the Flickr page if you'd like to be included in the giveaway, or use the hashtag #gingerjeans on Instagram. You can also email me your blog posts or link to them in the comments. If you've been following along but are still unsure about this whole jeans making thing, you may want to look into taking an intensive Ginger workshop with me at next fall's Camp Workroom Social. It's going to be hella fun and I'm happy to lovingly hold your hand in person.

Now, on to the final step which will take your jeans from "I made these" to "I FRIGGING MADE THESE!" While you can use a regular button for your jeans, and skip the rivets all together, nothing really pulls this project together like a hammer and some brute force. Here's what you'll need:

Metal rivets (get a few extra to practice with)
A jeans button (again, practice with an extra one first!)
A hammer
A nail to make holes, or an awl
A scrap piece of wood
A sheet of strong metal like steel or a cast iron frying pan - you need something that won't dent when you hammer in your rivets
Wire cutters
Optional: a rivet press

Check out my post on sourcing supplies if you need help finding rivets and buttons. As I said, it's better when possible to get all metal buttons and rivets. Some buttons have hollow plastic bases which I just don't think are as strong over time. As for rivets, they generally come with a solid or hollow post. I prefer rivets with solid metal posts because they are easier to trim down to size. In the photo below, the solid posts are in silver.

First up is the button. I highly suggest you practice on a scrap before going at your final jeans (hence why we are including an extra button in the Ginger Jeans denim kits). Do up your zipper and use a pencil to mark the location of the button. I always place the button on the left side of the buttonhole like you see below. No sense in centering it unless you want to give yourself a little breathing room at the waist.

You now want to make a hole in the waistband where you marked the button location. You can use a hammer and nail, but I prefer using an awl.

Push the button back through the hole you made.

Now, on your spare piece of wood, place the button with the hole facing up, and turn your jeans over. Line up the button back post into the button hole. Try to keep this as straight as possible. With your hammer, give the button back a few light thumps. Once it catches and you're sure it's going in straight, hammer it in until it's fully locked.

That wasn't too bad, was it?

On to the rivets! The location of your rivets is really up to you but traditionally rivets are placed in 5 locations: along the topstitching where the front pocket meets the leg, the top corner of the coin pocket and the outer courners of the back pockets. Use your awl or hammer and nail to make your holes. You may need to use a little force - it can be tricky to make a big enough hole through numerous layers of fabric. I wiggle the awl in and out on both ends to make enough space. Try to make the hole in between your topstitched lines so you're not severing that stitch.

Insert your rivet posts in the hole you just made. Take a look at how much of the rivet is poking through - if it's more than a milimeter or two, you'll want to trim it down with wire cutters. If the post is too long it will be hard to hammer in straight, and it may also dent or break the surface of the rivet once it has been hammered in. If you don't have wirecutters, you can also "pad" the difference by adding a few layers of scrap denim to the rivet and trimming around the rivet post (see Tailor Taylor's post for how to do that here). This is an example of what can happen to a rivet that is too long for the denim.

For this pair of Gingers, I had to trim down the rivet tip about 1 mm. I basically just cut of the pointy tip with my wirecutters.

If you have hollow rivet posts, it is a little trickier to trim them since they have a tendency to flatten when you use wire cutters. Use pliers to squeeze them back into a rounder shape after you have trimmed them.

Once your post is ready, put the rivet face down on your cast iron pan or sheet of metal. Turn your jeans over and align the post into the hole as straight as possible. You can use your fingers to hold the surrounding denim taut, which helps to keep the post straight. Give a few gentle taps to connect them, and once you are sure it is reasonably straight, hammer until it goes all the way in.

Repeat everywhere you want to add rivets.

And that's it! You've officially made a pair of custom fit, beautiful jeans and I hope you're blaring I Wanna Dance With Somebody and shaking your booty. Thank you so much for following along and for all your comments and insight during the sewalong. You guys rule.

If you’d like more help sewing professional looking jeans, consider taking our online video class. The Sew Your Dream Jeans Workshop will give you the tools and techniques to design, sew, and wear your very own custom pair of jeans with confidence.

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Sourcing Jean-Making Hardware and Supplies | Ginger Jeans Sewalong

4 November 2014 by Heather Lou 21 Comments

Hola amigas! Today we are talking denim supplies. You could probably make a basic pair of jeans with what you currently have in your sewing arsenal, but there are a few tools and additional pieces of hardware that makes the process a little easier, and your jeans a little more professional looking.

THE BASICS

Rotary Cutter - you can totally use a pair of shears for this pattern (especially if you're tracing your pieces before cutting) but when I'm feeling lazy I use my beloved Olfa Cutter.
Glass Head Pins - you will do a lot of pinning with Ginger and it helps to have pins you can iron over without fear.
Marking tool - my preferred method for cutting this pattern is tracing around the pieces with this amazing Clover chaco pen. It has a little serrated wheel inside it and it's the easiest way I've found to make pronounced (but washable) markings.
Denim needles - having a few of these is a lifesaver in case you break some. You can use heavier weight universal needles, but denim needles are specifically designed to sew through heavy twill. I use size 16, but if you're sewing a super heavy duty denim you're better off with size 18. You can also buy denim double needles, but they are pretty pricey and you'll cry if they break. I prefer just taking the time to sew two rows of topstitching.
Shears - nice and sharp to prevent fraying!

THE EXTRAS

Tailor's Clapper- this is a tiny, unassuming miracle. I wish I'd bought mine years ago - it really makes the most beautiful, flat seams. After you're done pressing a seam, you hold the clapper on it - it locks all the moisture and heat into the fabric. It's especially helpful sewing jeans since your seams can get quite bulky, but I also use my clapper in my daily sewing practice. You can also DIY your own with a scrap of hardwood.
Hump jumper- this little piece of plastic looks weird and has a silly name, but I use it all the time when I am sewing over thick bumpy areas like belt hooks or side seams. As you are approaching a "level change", you put the hump jumper under the back of your presser foot to lift the foot to the same height as whatever you are sewing over. After you sew past the high point, you slide the hump jumper out. You can also use a folded piece of cardboard in a pinch.
Presser feet - Full disclosure, I use my regular foot for all topstitching, so there is no need to buy additional ones. However, if you have an edgestitch foot, you can use the central guide to help keep your lines straight. You'll also need a zipper and buttonhole foot.
Awl - another indispensable general purpose tool I wish I had much earlier. This is a sharp, pointed tool that makes perfect holes for your denim buttons and rivets. You can also use a hammer and nail, but I think this is a more elegant solution.
Point turner- really helpful when you are trying to make even corners on your waistband.

ZIPPER

You definitely want to source an all metal denim zipper for your Gingers. Regular zippers are just not strong enough and will inevitably break under their denim burden.

Denim zippers generally come in two gauges - #4.5 and #5. The #4.5 is slightly lighter weight and may also be called a metal pants zipper. I used YKK zippers exclusively so I can't say if it's the same with other companies, but the #4.5 may also have a narrower zipper tape. Unless you are sewing with denim over 12oz, you are fine to use the #4.5. I prefer it because the zipper pull is less bulky and the narrower tape makes it easier to line up with your enter front seam when you install the fly front.

THREAD

I prefer Guterman topstitching thread since they have so many colour options, but any good quality topstitching thread will do. I would get at least 200 yards just to be safe. I've seen some great jeans that use two alternating colours for the topstitching, so buy a few hues if you want to personalize your jeans a little more.

You'll also need a spool of regular thread to match your denim for sewing all the seams. If you are serging your seams, I recommend using a fun colour in your serger. It's a nice detail that only you can see.

JEANS BUTTONS

Jeans buttons are a very durable pants closure. You create a hole in your waistband to put the metal post into. You then hammer the button into place. You should be able to find these at your local chain fabric store, but they generally only carry the plastic ones, which are cheap and not meant to last. I highly suggest you get some all metal buttons - I will provide sources further down in the post. Finishes are generally nickel, brass or copper.

RIVETS

Rivets are awesome. They help strengthen seams at points of stress, and make your handmade jeans look really professional. They are also really fun to install. There are generally two kinds: ring and nipple. Unless you have a rivet press, I would not suggest using nipple rivets. They are hard to install without special equipment. Ring rivets, however, can be installed using nothing but a hammer and cast iron frying pan (as we will see later).

Depending on where you buy your rivets, the backs will be either a hollow or solid metal post. I prefer the solid posts since they are easier to cut down to match the thickness of your denim. If you are planning on installing rivets you'll also have to pick up a wire cutter to trim them down.

Most of the sources below are for commercial quality hardware. You can also buy the kits at your local fabric store but I've never used them so I don't how the quality compares.

RIVET AND DENIM BUTTON SOURCES

- Tailor Taylor - this is a great source for all of your denim making needs; Tailor also carries zippers and topstitching thread. I've ordered rivets and buttons here and can vouch for the excellent quality.
- Cast Bullet - I haven't personally ordered from this company but I've heard great things about the quality. Lots of finish options.
- Grommet Mart - only for bulk orders but they also carry machines to install rivets and buttons.
- Thread Theory - They stock two different hardware and zipper kits - I love the colours!
- M. Recht (AUS) - This company has a great selection of rivets and buttons.
- Jaycotts (UK) - Kits only.
- Minerva Crafts (UK) - Kits only.

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Buttons, Buttonholes and Snaps...Oh My - All Our Sewing Tutorials

SNAP BUTTONS

JEANS BUTTONS

BUTTON FLY

INDUSTRIAL HARDWARE PRESS

BUTTONHOLES

DENIM BUTTONHOLES

HACKING A BUTTON PLACKET

HIP BUTTONS

BUTTON PLACKET

How to Install Overall Buckles & Hardware

Installing Jeans Rivets & Buttons | Ginger Jeans Sewalong

Sourcing Jean-Making Hardware and Supplies | Ginger Jeans Sewalong

THE BASICS

THE EXTRAS

ZIPPER

THREAD

JEANS BUTTONS

RIVETS

RIVET AND DENIM BUTTON SOURCES

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