submitted by Juliette Curtis
from Threads #110

Nobody likes to remove stitches, and taking out faulty buttonholes must be the worst type of stitch ripping possible, but here’s a quick and easy way to do it. Use a seam ripper to cut through all the buttonhole stitches on the back of the garment, including the bar tacks at the top and bottom. On the front of the garment, use the seam ripper to gently pull out the top thread (it should pull off in one piece), taking most of the bottom stitches with it. If the top thread doesn’t pull off completely, make sure you’ve cut through all the stitches under the buttonhole. After the top thread is removed, use tweezers or masking tape to pull any remaining stitches.