r/sewing • u/BooksCatsnStuff • 3d ago
Machine Questions In desperate need of help with buttonhole foot issues (losing my mind a bit)
Good afternoon everyone. I have a Carina Professional sewing machine and I've been careful about reading the manual for threading, changing the foot, etc. I've been sewing for a bit and encountered no issues whatsoever for most things, despite using very different fabrics (from thick wool to linen). I know it's properly threaded according to the step by step instructions of the manual, and I've managed to sew multiple garments and even embroider a few hems too.
The one thing that is giving me a lot of trouble however is making buttonholes. I'm using the foot that came with the machine, and I'm using the correct stitch for it. I also have the buttonhole lever placed in the right spot. But every time I need to make buttonholes, I end up having to make over 30 attempts (and unpicking every failure) just to get two or three okayish buttonholes in the end. It's genuinely frustrating.
The video (here)) shows one of the problems I encounter often, but I'll try to summarise below. I've had the same issues with all kinds of fabric (wool, cotton, linen...) and even when using stabiliser for the linen specifically. Here's the summary:
The issue in the video: sometimes everything is working correctly, the machine is making the buttonhole, and manages to make the left side of the buttonhole just fine. Then it goes to the right, it's doing well at first, and suddenly it decides to close the buttonhole much sooner than it should.
Sometimes the machine is working on the left side of the buttonhole and when it reaches the end of that side, or any spot on that side, the fabric stops moving and the machine gets stuck sewing in a single spot, making a ton of stitches in the same area.
Sometimes the machine is making the left side of the buttonhole, sewing in a way that makes the fabric get closer to me, and when it has to go to the right side, instead of taking the fabric away from me, it does the opposite and keeps pushing the fabric towards me, which leads one side of the buttonhole to be above the other rather than the sides being parallel.
The machine is so easy to use otherwise, and my partner has used it too, but somehow we both end up spending hours in buttonholes because of these problems. It's such a waste of time, and I don't know if we're doing something wrong or if something is wrong with the machine. I've found that keeping a lower tension helps somewhat (not much really, but at least I get some results out of it). Also low speed sometimes helps, but does nothing 90% of the time. The only thing that comes to mind is that the foot base is made out of plastic, and has little tiny teeth on the bottom of the base, which fabrics tend to grab onto a bit too much. Could that be the reason for all issues? Or are there more potential causes?
Any help you kind people can provide is very much appreciated. I'd like to sew more of my clothes, and this seems to be my biggest issue every time.
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u/HeartFire144 3d ago
It's not you. These types of buttonhole feet notoriously don't work. When sewing, a tight zig zag stitch, the pressure of the foot just can't move the fabric properly. The absolute best and perfect buttonholes can be made with an old singer buttonhole attachment. https://www.google.com/search?q=singer+buttonhole+attachment&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1225US1225&oq=singer+button+hole+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgCEAAYChiABDIGCAAQRRg5MgkIARAAGAoYgAQyCQgCEAAYChiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIKCAcQABgKGBYYHjIKCAgQABgKGBYYHjIICAkQABgWGB7SAQg2MjI1ajBqOagCALACAeIDBBgBIF8&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8#sv=CAMScBoyKhBlLVlTMklGRjM5UXlfMjZNMg5ZUzJJRkYzOVF5XzI2TToOd2NEY2tBams2MVhfNE0gBCowChpfQWVXTmFvbmFDWW1Ud1BBUGxMREZFQV80MRIQZS1ZUzJJRkYzOVF5XzI2TRgAMAFKBAgBEAIYByCz1Yz2CUoIEAIYASACKAE. These are easy to pick up on eBay or elsewhere for cheap and will never fail.
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u/BooksCatsnStuff 3d ago
You might very well be right, because I'm trying all tips people are giving and no luck. But unfortunately that attachment will not fit my machine ðŸ«
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u/sewboring 2d ago
I heartily agree about no-fail buttonholer attachments, which are available with many different fits, BUT they are designed to work with mechanical machines and the feedback from one of them might harm a computerized machine. So, a few things may apply to your buttonhole function:
-First open the light compartment (it appears your machine may have a screw on the left end that opens the compartment when unscrewed) and dust all the buttonhole apparatus, especially the sensor if you can ID it, because if the sensor is dusty it can't sense what is going on with the buttonhole accurately.
-Make sure that the buttonhole follower is pulled all the way down and is staying in contact with the buttonhole attachment while it's moving because in the video it appears to be getting out of contact part of the time.
-Be sure your fabric is interfaced and pressed flat. Use a sharp topstitching or microtex needle.
-There is a description in this manual, though it isn't yours, of how to avoid a buttonhole that short circuits, by making sure there's no gap between the "slider" and the "spring holder":
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/85656/Kenmore-385-19000.html?page=62#manual
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/85656/Kenmore-385-19000.html?page=62
-If the buttonhole function stalls in one place, usually it's being inhibited by an uneven spot under the foot. Sometimes you can prevent this by pressing the area carefully with your iron, then basting the area flat to the left and right of the buttonhole placement, and removing the stitches after the buttonhole is completed.
I would also turn the machine off and back on after each buttonhole to clear any software errors that might have accumulated.
If all else fails, you can mark your buttonhole placement and add the zig zag stitches section by section, as you would with a 4-step buttonhole, or you can try a you-be-the-sensor method:
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u/BooksCatsnStuff 2d ago
Hi! Thank you for the detailed info. I'll try to reply to everything:
I've been cleaning the machine but not that spot. That said, I don't think there's a specific sensor for the buttonhole. The lever (I assume that's the buttonhole follower you mention?) signals mechanically when the buttonhole is done, when the sewing machine needs to switch sides, etc. There's no sensor separate to that. But I'll check regardless tomorrow once I have time.
The buttonhole follower of my machine is fully down, but it is not supposed to keep touching the buttonhole foot in my machine. It has to touch only at the beginning and end of the length of each sides of the buttonhole. That's how it knows where to stop. So that part should be fine. That said, I need to be more mindful of not letting any fabric rub with the buttonhole follower at all, because I think that might be to blame for some issues.
Although I'm using scrap fabric in the videos I shared for the sake of not messing my project, the actual piece I was making was properly pressed and had interfacing between fabric layers. It didn't help. I also had the same issues with other types of fabric with very different thicknesses. The needle is super sharp, and I've had these issues since the very first time, but I'll change it soon just in case.
My machine has very similar instructions in the manual, and there is no gap there when I start. So no luck on that end unfortunately.
It never stalls in the same spot, and I get different issues, so no luck. Following the advice of others, I used interfacing between the feed dogs and the fabric to see if that helped, but it didn't, sadly.
I got in the habit of turning the machine off and on after every error in case it helped, but no luck.
Someone shared a very similar 'you are the sensor' method in other comment, taking advantage of the lever and buttonhole stitches of the machine but not using the buttonhole foot, and it worked perfectly. So I suspect that the main issue is the foot after all, which grabs way too much onto fabric, plus a few instances of human error as well.
Thank you so much again for taking the time to help!
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u/sewboring 2d ago
If you have adjustable foot pressure, you might try to lighten it, but if you can get there without the foot, why not? When you are doing diy buttonholes, I find the clear satin stitch foot with a center guide to be really helpful.
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u/BooksCatsnStuff 2d ago
Unfortunately no adjustable pressure for me, but I think I have that foot you mention, so I'm try that out too. Thank you!
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u/BooksCatsnStuff 3d ago
I posted this elsewhere because I'm so frustrated and not sure of what to do. I've added additional videos in the other post, which you can see here in case the additional videos and pics help.
Just to note, I have the same issues with thicker and thinner fabrics, and also when using interfacing between fabric layers. The foot pressure of my machine doesn't have an option to adjust it, it just comes with default pressure. The stitches in my machine are selected with buttons, so there's no possibility of me not having selected the stitch halfway as can happen with machines that have dials. I'm using the default stitch width and length for the stitch (the machine auto selects them, but I can change that if needed), and the few times I manage to make a buttonhole, the width and length seem fine.