How to Cut Button Holes

Co-authored by David Reeves

Last Updated: September 25, 2023 References

Buttons are an easy way to keep clothing or other fabric items fastened. If you want to add buttons to something like a garment or purse, you’ll have to cut open the buttonholes in order to actually put the buttons through and fasten the item. Before you can do this, you have to sew the stitching for the buttonholes, which keeps the fabric around the holes from fraying and tearing. After you have the buttonhole stitching, you can cut the holes open using either a buttonhole cutter, which is basically a chisel designed specifically for cutting buttonholes, or a seam ripper, which is a multi-purpose sewing tool you might already have.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Buttonhole Cutter

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1
Place the fabric with the buttonhole you want to cut on top of a cutting mat. Position a cutting mat in front of you on a flat work surface, such as a sewing table. Center the piece of fabric with the buttonhole you want to cut over the cutting mat.^{[1]
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- If you don’t have a cutting mat, you could use a wooden block as an alternative. You just need something that will prevent the buttonhole cutter’s blade from damaging your work surface underneath the fabric.
Warning: Make sure you don’t accidentally put any other parts of the fabric underneath the buttonhole or you might accidentally cut a hole where you didn’t mean to.
2
Put the buttonhole cutter’s blade against the fabric at 1 end of the buttonhole. A buttonhole cutter looks like a small chisel. Place the sharp end of the cutter inside the buttonhole’s stitching, right up against 1 end of the stitching.^{[2]
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- Depending on the size of the buttonhole, the chisel might fill the whole space inside the stitching perfectly. If the hole is small and the chisel blade is too wide, tilt it up a bit to avoid cutting through the stitching at the other end of the buttonhole.
- You can buy buttonhole cutters online or at a sewing supply shop. They cost about $12 USD and up and are available in different sizes.
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3
Rock the blade back and forth to cut through the fabric. Press the chisel blade firmly against the fabric inside the buttonhole’s stitching. Rock it back and forth a few times until it cuts through the fabric and opens up the hole.^{[3]
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- Be careful not to cut through the buttonhole’s stitching.
4
Continue the process to open up the entire hole. Keep rocking the blade back and forth while pressing it against the fabric. Move it down the length of the buttonhole to the other end of the stitching as you go. Stop when you open up the entire buttonhole.^{[4]
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- This is only necessary if the buttonhole you’re cutting is longer than the width of the buttonhole cutter’s blade.
- Buttonhole cutters make very clean cuts, so there shouldn’t be any loose or frayed threads inside the buttonhole.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Opening Buttonholes with a Seam Ripper

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1
Put sewing pins horizontally across the ends of the buttonhole. Stick a sewing pin through the fabric just before 1 end of the buttonhole’s stitching to create a barrier. Repeat this for the other end of the buttonhole.^{[5]
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- This will prevent you from accidentally tearing the stitching at the ends of the buttonhole. The fabric between the pins, in the center of the buttonhole’s stitching, is what you will tear open with a seam ripper.
2
Poke a seam ripper through the fabric at 1 end of the buttonhole. Start at either end of the buttonhole and stick the sharp end of your seam ripper through the fabric in between the stitching. Poke the pointy end up through the center of the buttonhole.^{[6]
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- Poking the seam ripper through the center of the buttonhole will help avoid tearing it open too much.
Warning: Don't cut from the center towards the stitching. Always cut towards the center. Even though you may have sewing pins at the end as barriers, it's best to take all the precautions just to be safe.
3
Tear through the fabric until you open up half of the buttonhole. Push the seam ripper towards the center of the buttonhole until you cut all the way to where the tip of the seam ripper was poking through the fabric in the middle. Stop pushing when you don’t feel any resistance anymore.^{[7]
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- Tearing open just half of the hole to start with is the safest way to open up the hole and not accidentally cut through any of the stitching at the opposite end of the buttonhole.
Poke the seam ripper into the fabric at the other end of the button hole. Push it towards the center to finish tearing open the other half of the buttonhole.^{[8]
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5
Trim any loose or frayed threads with scissors. Use a pair of small, sharp scissors to cut off any loose threads hanging off the torn fabric. Carefully cut off any frayed edges of the fabric in the center of the buttonhole.^{[9]
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- If you missed tearing through any of the fabric at either end of the buttonhole, you can also use your scissors to carefully finish opening it up right up to the stitching at both ends.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I hand-stitch a buttonhole?

David Reeves
Bespoke Tailor
David Reeves is a Bespoke Tailor and the Founder of Reeves: Modern English Tailoring, based in New York City. David has been in the bespoke tailoring business for over 25 years and specializes in designing and creating custom, high-end suits. David has worked with influential names in the United Kingdom and the United States such as Richard James of Savile Row, Prada, Commes Des Garcons, and Timothy Everest.

David Reeves

Bespoke Tailor

Expert Answer

You can hand-stitch a buttonhole using a nylon thread or a silk thread, and then you can finish it with wax so there's a certain stiffness to it and form.

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Tips

A buttonhole cutter will make the cleanest cuts when you’re opening up buttonholes. You won’t have to trim off any loose or frayed threads, as you usually do if you use a seam ripper.

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Buttonhole cutters are available in different sizes. If you’re shopping for a buttonhole cutter, make sure the size matches the size of the buttonholes you will be cutting or buy a few different sizes.

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Warnings

If you're using a seam ripper, always tear the fabric towards the center of the buttonhole and tear half at a time to avoid accidentally cutting through the stitching at the ends.

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Be careful not to double any other parts of the fabric underneath the buttonholes you’re cutting, so you don’t accidentally cut or tear through anything other than the buttonholes.

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