For those people who are gifted with the ability to sew, this may seem like the world's most obvious blog post. But for those who, like a dear friend of mine, uses glue to attach a button, this article is seriously essential reading.

There are all kinds of ways that modern innovations have meant that the art of sewing is a diminishing craft. No longer do people need to know how to sew a hem, when they can just use tape to stick it back together.The art of darning is dying a slow death as people simply stick a stick on patch over the top of a garment hole. So those people who know how to sew, even basically, are sadly becoming an endangered species.

However, despite modern inventions (e.g velcro), buttons still remain present on modern clothing, and obviously still feature heavily on vintage clothing. And, also despite modern progress, buttons still fall off. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, most of the time it's because the thread that holds the button in place has become compromised so it can't hold the button on anymore and the button disappears (most of the time), or, is rescued and retained by it's saviour until they are ready to reunite it with it's buttonhole friend again.

In my opinion, if a button is forever missing and cannot be located, and it forms part of a matching set of buttons then you need to seriously consider what is your next move. The wrong move can significantly devalue your vintage item. My biggest piece of advice is whatever you choose to do, keep your choice consistent with the era of the garment.

For example, if your 1950s Lilli Ann coat is missing the top button, adding a very obviously 1980s button to the coat is not going to fool anyone. Do not try to trick us into believing that 1980s button with a chunky gold chain surround was around in the 1950s. It wasn't, and we know it wasn't. Your coat will easily lose a minimum of 10% of its value just because of this, no matter how good that 1980s chain work may be.

Your better option would be to try and find the button. Easier said and done, and likely 99.999% impossible, but you should give it a try. If you can't find the original button that lived on the coat, go onto eBay or scour Facebook marketplace or Craigslist/Gumtree to see if any of these buttons exist out there on the interweb. You may get lucky.

Ok so let's say finding the button is a pipe dream. Your next best option is to find buttons similar to the missing one. And most definitely preferably of the same era. So back to eBay you go. However, before you go and buy one lone button, think about the overall appearance and aesthetics of the garment with one lonely odd button with no friends that like him. Maybe the better option is to replace all of the buttons, so they are all the same and they are one happy button family. If your coat has 8 buttons, then try and find 9 buttons the same, and sew the extra one onto an inside label of the coat, trust me, you will be very grateful for this advice on that day you lose another button.

The last and least preferred option, but still available, is to buy all new buttons. You can find these at sewing stores like Joann's (in the USA) or Lincraft/Spotlight (in Australia) or even search the internet and buy them online. Try to find them in a style that is as close as possible to the original. For example if the coat button was originally faceted glass, then try and find a faceted glass button that is the same colour and style as the original. It will be worth your time to find the right button, as the wrong buttons can really turn an amazing garment into a meh one. 

And once you've found your 9 buttons you can happily remove the other buttons from the coat and keep them. Do not under any circumstances throw them away. Even if they are dirty or damaged. Keep them or sell them!

Now you come to sewing them on. There are some key things to remember for button sewing:

1. Use a clear or matching thread to the garment. Don't be a cheapskate and use the nearest bright orange thread on your black coat. Make an effort.
2. If the shank of the button is metal and you are sewing it onto a coat or jacket use clear nylon thread to sew it on, and consider using a backing button as well, this will secure the button and reduce stress on the garment, and minimise the likelihood of more button loss
3. Use the right needle, don't use a bead needle on a wool coat, it won't cut the mustard
4. Don't skimp on the number of times you thread through the button shank. Being more generous is better than not enough.
5. Do not even think about gluing on a button. It is not an option. Failure is imminent and you will definitely end up in hell if you do this. 
6. There are a zillion YouTube videos online about how to sew on a button. Choose your favourite one and watch it until you feel comfortable and know what to do.

Sew, there you have it. Good luck!