There has been much frustration. There has been some colourful language. There have been many cleansing breaths taken in the garden. For this week was the week that I tackled my first bound buttonholes.
Attempt Number One. There’s not even enough fabric to draw through the hole. Pretty big fail, but you know, it’s early days.
Attempt Number Two. Now, I don’t know if it’s the vaguely flesh-coloured fabric or the fact that there is much mention of lips when you research the binding of holes for buttons. This one makes me want to call in a proctologist.
Attempt Number Three. No, I think that I need to pop along the hospital corridor to see a gynaecologist. I GIVE UP.
Attempts Four and Five. I’m going to machine a button-blooming-hole. Oh, that looks so ordinary, you could have done that hours ago, what a waste of time. You light-weight. You give up so easily. Have One. Last. Try.
Oh. Now, that doesn’t look too bad. More furry letterbox than human orifice which has to be better.
And when we came to make the things for real… Well, there were moments. Carefully marking, attaching and turning through some iron-on interfacing only to realise it was now sticky side up and not sticky side down. The kind of thing that only happens when you have already spent 3 hours making and painstakingly lining something. That was a moment. And there was a too-hot iron moment, good job no bugger will be able to see the insides of my pockets as there was no way I was re-doing them this far along:
I could have wept, except. Except. They looked alright from the outside:
I’m not sure that I’m desperate to try them again. I mean they’re pretty much invisible on this fabric and for all that work.
On the other hand, they do make me feel quite smug/clever/heartily relieved.
What do you think? To bind or not to bind, I feel that might be my question.
pennylibrarian 
Oh what a shame you struggled so much! I think it’s good idea to practice them a bit on a scrappy bit of calico or cotton, something that stays put before attempting them on a woolly thing. I have a “handout” I can send you, if you’d like.
Do you know… I thought that I’d read enough to wade right in on that thick fabric. I’m so impatient! Can I take you up on the kind handout offer if/*when* I’m tempted to try again? Px
sure! in the mean time I will work on a pictoral tutorial too.
🙂
I really like the finished look you finally achieved! Congrats! Top marks for perseverance and effort! Don’t stop here. I’d go it again. You seem to have good amounts of courage, and it will get easier 🙂
Thanks! I’m pretty sure that I will try them again on another project. I just need to make sure I get a wee bit more practice and that I give myself loads of time…
Wow, looks like quite a journey, sorry you had such problems. I have not attempted bound buttonholes yet, they do look complicated.
Do you know, I think I just dived straight in before I was quite ready. S’all good though, you learn a little something on every adventure!
That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Or some such thing. 🙂
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Probably not that relevant here but I’m never one to pass up on opportunity to mis-quote Trek!