Buttons and Buttonholes

buttons are small knob or disklike devices that perform as closures when paired with buttonholes .button holes are slit or loop openings
that retain buttons.slit buttons have edges finished with thread , fabric,or other material.loop buttonholes may be formed from thread ,
fabric ,narrow elastic , or braid.loops are usually attached to garment edges or seams , while other buttonholes are cut through the piece
goods.

Together , buttons and buttonholes form fastening units or closures. The performance of button and buttonhole closures depends on materials
, structure , quality , and performance of each device and its compatibility with garment styling and materials.

Button types
There are two basic types of buttons: holed and shanked. thread or other material is passed though the holes or shanks to
secure buttons to garments.holed buttons may have two to four holes extending through the center of the button
.buttons may be all one piece or a combination of parts and materials.

Holed buttons may be sewn flat or attached with thread shanks the thread shanks allows the button to be elevated to
provide more flexibility and ease of movement.thread shanks reduce the srain on the thread and fabric and allow the
garment to lie flat when buttoned . the length of the shank can be varied depending on the thickness of the buttonhole. A
special presser foot is used to hold the button above thegarment to provide slack as it is attcached.

Wrapped thread shanks are used in areas of excessive wear on better quality garments or if thread shanks are long .
wrapping is a process of placing the button on its side after attachement and stitching over thr thread shank.thread shanks
may be wrapped in order to protect the thread and help the button maintain its position. Wrapping makes a more durable
button application .wrapped button shanks are found on better jackets, coats , and some skirts and slacks.it is common for
a manufacturer to wrap center front buttons that receive extensive use but not to wrap pocket or sleeve buttons even
though they may have thread shanks. Some manufacturers may use an extremely small rubbberband around the thread
shank insteadof wrapping it with thread.it serves the same purpose but may be more visible.

Shanked buttons have short, stem like devices (the shanks) on the backs of the buttons .shanks may be made of fabric ,
molded of the same material as the button face , or formed from a separate metal part and combined with the face or
back of the button.cloth shanks are found primarily on fabric covered buttons and are the least durable. Molded shanks
are produced through injection molding.tyhe durability of molded shanks depends upon the thickness of the shank and
the strength of materials used to produce the buttons.

Metal shanks may be cast as part of the button , formed as looped , wire like structures attached to or through the center
of the button , or stamped and shaped from sheet metal to form a button back that includes the shank.shanks may be
glued , solderd to metal , screwed into wodd , set into wood m, set into molded buttons during formation , or clinched in
place as multiple part buttons are assembled . stamped buttons backs and shanks sometimes have sharp edges that sever
thread and abrade or discolour fabrics.shanked buttons are subject to crushing with compression , which may occur in
pressing or consumer wear.

shanked buttons are permanently attached or removable if held in a place by a toggle or ring on the inside of the
garment .permanently attached buttons are sewn to the garment or mechanically tacked. For removable buttons , a small
eyelet is made in the garment that allows the shank of the button to be inserted. The toggle or ring slides through the
shank to hold the buttons in place .removable buttons may be used on uniforms and other garments when button must be
removed for cleaning and pressing.
Tack buttons are a type of shank button named for the method of attachment . they have thread to wear and abrade and
are strong and duarable . tack buttons are multiple part buttons attached with tacks that pass through the back of the
fabric into molded shanks on the back of the button.they consist of four parts : cap,disk,shank,and tack. The face is the
outer , aesthetic portion that is often stamped with a design , logo , or firm’s name that wraps the back or shank portion.
The cap is supported and protected by a hard concave disk that prevents the tack from piercing the button face. The tack
has a post that consists of one or two prongs to secure the tack in place .the shape of the disk causes the post to bend
when forced through the shank , thus locking it in place .generally, a two prong tack has more holding power and is less
likely to come out.special button setting equipment is used to apply pressure and secure the tacks in place.

Once inserted , tacks cannot be removed without damaging the button and garment.tack buttons , commonly found on
jeans , jeans jackets ,a nnd overalls , are fast and easy to apply but applications must be accurate.tack buttons are also
more rigid and therefore more difficult to manipute in the buttoning process.

Button size button diameter is specified in lignes, a unit of measure equal to 1/40 of an inch.dimension specifications
would include diameter and thickness of the buttons , number of holes and the diameter and spacing of holes,shank type ,
depth , hole size , and thickness of the bridge.(the bridge is the distance from the end of the shank to the edge of the
hole.this is the distance that the needle must travel in attaching a shanked button.)button dimensions may be limited by
the method of application and the available equipment that a manufacturer uses.

Button size , for a particular garment , is determined by the number of units to be used on the style , holding strength.
Appearance desired , and fashion trends.some types of garments may use different sizes of the same button style.for
example , some men’s shirts use larger buttons down the front and smaller ones for button –down collars ;coats often use
large buttons the front and a smaller size for sleeves , neckline , or belt.as many as three different sizes may be used on
one garment and some garments may use more than one style.
button application button sewers are cycle machines with templates that are adjuseted to produce a specific number of
stitches in a specific pattern. Cams control the movement of the foot , which holds the button as stitches are
formed.depending on the production needs and sophistication of the machine , buttons may be fed automatically or
placed hand by hand