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Add Buttons/Buttonholes Tool Icon

Add Buttons/Buttonholes Tool

What it Does​

Draws a row of buttons along a line, and then, if you want, a matching row of buttonholes along another line. You choose the button size and either how many buttons you want or how far apart they sit. The tool spaces them evenly.

Use this when you want to show button and buttonhole positions on a front opening, such as a shirt front or a cardigan band. For help choosing button size and spacing, see the Academy page on Buttons & Buttonholes.

The tool has two parts. Part 1 places the buttons. Part 2 places the buttonholes and is optional.

Part 1: Place the Buttons​

  1. Activate the tool by selecting the Add Buttons/Buttonholes icon
  2. Select the line the buttons will be placed along, then select Continue. This is usually the center front line. A line or a line with several segments can be selected
  3. Select the end of the line that is at the collar, from the list below. Hover over a name in the list to see that point highlighted in the workspace
  4. Enter the Button Size, in the unit shown. This is the diameter of the button
  5. Leave Distance to Collar at 0 to place the first button one button width from the collar point. Or enter a distance in the unit shown to place it somewhere else
  6. Enter either the Number of Buttons or the Distance Between, and leave the other at 0. If both have a value, the tool shows a message asking you to set one back to 0
  7. Select Preview to see the buttons in the workspace. You can change the values and select Preview again
  8. Select Save to keep just the buttons, or select Save & Create Buttonholes to go on to Part 2. Select Cancel to leave without adding anything

When you enter a Number of Buttons, the buttons are spaced evenly from the first button to the end of the line. When you enter a Distance Between, the tool adds as many buttons as fit along the line at that spacing.

Part 2: Place the Buttonholes​

  1. Select the line the buttonholes will be placed along, then select Continue. It must be at least as long as the button line. If the button line is also the buttonhole line (a symmetrical pattern), select that same line again
  2. Select the end of the buttonhole line that is at the collar, from the list below
  3. Enter the Buttonhole Size, in the unit shown. The tool starts with the button size plus 3 mm (or 1/8 inch), so the button can slip through. The buttonholes use the same spacing as the buttons
  4. Set where the button sits within each buttonhole, using the sliders or the First Buttonhole, Other Buttonholes and Last Buttonhole boxes. A value of 0 puts the button at one end of the buttonhole. The highest value is the buttonhole size, which puts it at the other end. A value at the half way point centers it. If you type a number outside this range, the tool shows the message "Enter a number between 0 and" followed by the buttonhole size
  5. Leave Lock checked to give every buttonhole the same placement. Clear Lock to set the first and last buttonholes differently from the rest
  6. Select Preview to see the buttonholes in the workspace, then select Continue
  7. Set the rotation of the buttonholes, in degrees, using the sliders or the First Buttonhole, Other Buttonholes and Last Buttonhole boxes. The values start at the angle of the buttonhole line. Leave Lock checked to turn them all by the same amount, or clear it to set the first and last buttonholes differently
  8. Select Preview to see the rotation
  9. Select Save to keep the buttons and buttonholes, or Cancel to leave without adding anything
info

To remove buttons or buttonholes later, use the Delete Layer tool. The buttons and buttonholes are each kept on their own layer. To put a set on a different layer, use the Move Buttons/Buttonholes tool.

info

The placement sliders run from 0 to the buttonhole size. If you change the Buttonhole Size, the sliders adjust to the new size. Select Preview to redraw the buttonholes. A placement value can never be longer than the buttonhole.

🧠Memorization

When you memorize a draft, the buttons and buttonholes are remembered, including the size, distances and rotation you chose.