What settings should I use to make a buttonhole

Here are the steps to sew a buttonhole on the Janome New Home My Excel 18W/MW3018 sewing machine:

1. Attach the buttonhole foot to the machine.
2. Place the button in the back of the buttonhole foot and adjust the foot so that the button fits snugly.
3. Select the buttonhole stitch on the machine. It may be a buttonhole symbol or a number corresponding to the buttonhole stitch.
4. Set the stitch length to the desired length for the buttonhole. The machine may have preset lengths or you can adjust it manually.
5. Place the fabric under the foot and lower the foot.
6. Sew the first side of the buttonhole. Stop the machine when it reaches the end of the buttonhole.
7. Sew the second side of the buttonhole, stopping at the end.
8. Use a seam ripper or scissors to open the buttonhole carefully.
9. Remove the fabric from the machine and trim any loose threads.

Make sure to practice on a scrap piece of fabric before sewing the buttonhole on your project.

You'll have to provide more information about the sewing machine. 158 indicates the manufacturer. However, there are a lot of Kenmore sewing machines from that manufacturer. The 158.1340 manual is available here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/150291/Kenmore-1340.html .

Page 40 (41 in the linked format) begins the section on buttonholes. With the buttonhole attachment, you need to set the stitch to the second narrowest zig-zag stitch. You can use any stitch length. The description of using the buttonhole attachment starts on page 45.

Without the buttonhole attachment, you set the stitch selector to each part of the buttonhole as you reach them. The stitch length dial has to be set to an appropriate length in the block for buttonholes. The top and bottom tack bars use the same stitch selector. There are separate ones for the left and right sides of the button hole.

I hope this helps. Please add a comment with the rest of the model number on your sewing machine for specifics with your machine.

Cindy Wells

Possibly your machine does not make repeat buttonholes and you need to set every time? Are you stitching all the way around before resetting.

Expand exactly the symptoms of what is not working with your buttonhole function. There are generally 5 or 6 steps to a built-in buttonhole, so we need to know which function(s) is/are not working.

http://www.sewusa.com/Sewing_Machine_Manuals/Necchi_Manuals/3101FA_3102FB_Instruction_Manual.htm

How to Make Buttonhole on Your Sewing Machine Sew4Home

BTW, any zig-zag sewing machine can be used to make buttonholes without the built-in buttonholer or a buttonhole foot. The built-in buttonholer just took the manual method and made a dial to switch to the next step. You can do that manually on your machine. You just need to perform each step manually: knot-on, stitch the bartack, zig-zag forward, bartack, zig-zag backward, and tie-off. I've made many buttonholes manually on sewing machines before having a machine with built-in buttonhole or a buttonhole foot. Just be sure to practice on some scrap fabric first before trying it on your garment.
Until Wednesday Calls How To Manual Machine Buttonholes

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Are you asking if you can do a buttonhole without the special buttonhole feature? If so--of course you can. Sewists do it all the time on machines without the buttonhole feature or special feet. Be sure to practice on some scrap fabric first.

How to sew buttonhole with an old machine

Until Wednesday Calls How To Manual Machine Buttonholes

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I don't know that machine, but generally on older machines, you put a buttonhole foot on the machine, set one of the buttons in the back-end of the slot so that it adjusts the size needed automatically. Then you set the machine stitch setting on 1 and set the width to make a satin stitch (a close zig-zag) down one side of buttonhole. You sew until the buttonhole foot makes the button hit near the foot; it will stop you, basically. Then you change stitch dial to 2 to make the bottom of the buttonhole, then 3 to make the other side, then 4 to make the top side. Then you remove the fabric and cut open the buttonhole (I use FrayCheck fist) Try some buttonholes on scrap fabric first, you will figure it out by trial and error.
If your machine is newer, they automatically can sew a buttonhole, but each one does it differently, Sorry.

if the sewing machine is set on the buttonhole setting then it's
possible that the sewing machine motherboard has a problem.
or a part could be damaged, the machine may need some type
of adjustment.

Have you made sure the buttonhole lever is in the buttonhole tab?

This tutorial will show you how to make a zig-zag buttonhole - http://www.ehow.com/video_4433258_making-hole-using-zigzag-stitch.html

The demo is a little sloppy. I stitch into the ends and I set the stitch length to zero when making the bar tacks across the ends. It takes a little practice.

I hope this helps.

The buttonhole foot slides open so that you may insert the button which you are making a button hole for so that it may be sized correctly.

Slide open the foot, place the buttin on the spot and slide it closed.

Turn the pattern selector off and back on to the buttonhole pattern to reset. (Do this each time you make a buttonhole to reset)

Pull down the buttonhole lever located up and to the left of the needle bar. Pull it ALL THE WAY DOWN so that it will be tripped by the buttonhole foot as it moves.

Set the stitch width to about 4 or 4.5.

Set the stitch length to a very tight stitch (but usually slightly higher than the recommended marking)

Set the upper tension on 3.

Use an appropriate stabilizer. This is the key to a good buttonhole.

Lower the foot on the fabric, ensuring that the foot goes down without springing forward or back.

Make a few practice buttonholes, adjusting the width and length untill you get what you are looking for.

2 things must do:
You have to use the buttonhole foot.
You have to pull down the lever to the lowest position (just left of needle bar/ presser bar up in machine.)
Set to buttonhole. After each buttonhole, be sure to change off the buttonhole then reset to buttonhole to reset the buttonhole to the beginning