Changing button cuff to...something else?

[gem]

So, Milord's shirt pattern has cuffs that button (?!), which would be an intriguing change for his garb, but I'm not sure I want to do that, first because I didn't plan on (read: buy) buttons and second because I don't really feel like learning how to make a buttonhole... tomorrow. 

If I wanted to change them to something else--maybe, say, elastic--what do I need to consider, and how would I go about making such a change?

Gramercy!!

[CenturiesSewing]

Buttoned cuffs are usually rather tight fitting so if you change it to something else, you need to make sure he can still get his hand through it. Or rather then buttons you could have it tie shut, or hook and eye.

Elastic wise, not sure of the pattern, if it has you gather the sleeve down into a cuff you could just ignore the cuff and fold up the hem of the sleeve into a casing, then thread the elastic into that.

[operafantomet]

What about tieing it together with linen or cotton ribbons? Or narrow threads?  ETA: something like bottom picture here:

http://www.geocities.com/lepapapenguin/pictures.html

[DonaCatalina]

Picot ribbons is what I use on a lot of Milord's silk shirts. The picots keep them from coming untied as easily as other ribbons.

[DragonWing]

I would go with ties also. But botton holes are not that hard to make. Once you do one your going to smack yourself in the head and say....duh.     LOL

Good luck Gem

[Pascal]

If you roll the hem up so that you've got a half inch to an inch of room inside, you can stick a piece of elastic inside.  Nice thing about elastic is that your hubby can push the sleeves up his arm for shorter sleeves if he wants.

I start by doing a single fold 1/4" (or so) hem.  Then, I'll fold that in to make a 3/4" hem -- but I'll leave the final 1" open (as I'm sewing along the circumference of the sleeve).  Then I'll stick a safety pin on some elastic and feed it through the opening and around the 3/4" hem.  Pull it out when it goes all way around, then sew the two ends together.  Finally, close up your final 1" opening.

Or -- if you feel like trying a buttonhole (and your Viking ought to do one pretty easily), sew a shortish buttonhole before you roll up your 3/4" hem.  Sew it so it's on the outside of the shirt after you sew the 3/4" hem.  Now, attach safety pin to ribbon, stick in buttonhole and run around the rolled hem.  Pull it out the button hole when it goes all the way around.  Leave long ribbon tails for tyeing.

[gem]

Great ideas!  Thanks!

I think I'll go with Pascal's recommendation to just hem the sleeves, first.  I can always go back and add the cuffs if I decide to.  I actually remembered that I've been toting around a couple of beautiful pewter wolf buttons in my sewing box for like 4 years now.  This would be a perfect place to use them.  Maybe with a little line of tone-on-tone machine embroidery....

[DonaCatalina]

I would go with ties also. But botton holes are not that hard to make. Once you do one your going to smack yourself in the head and say....duh.     LOL

Good luck Gem

Unless you have to make 58 buttonholes for a 14th century cotehardie ala Edward II. 

[LaurenLee]

Funny, but handmade buttonholes are one of my favorite things to do.. I make alot of Civil War shirts for Confederate soldiers, and I use wooden buttons and do handmade buttonholes... I can almost do them blindfolded now, and find them kinda comforting to do while I watch TV...

[DragonWing]

I would go with ties also. But botton holes are not that hard to make. Once you do one your going to smack yourself in the head and say....duh.     LOL

Good luck Gem

Unless you have to make 58 buttonholes for a 14th century cotehardie ala Edward II.  

DonaCatalina, You may have a point there. But Gem only needs two.  58?!  Wow.  

[gem]

...And I still haven't done them.  Milord will be home in about 7 hours (anniversary gift).  Do you think I can master them by that time?

**
ETA:  Well, I didn't get the buttonholes made, b/c stupid me, I forgot I had to hem the thing!    So I basted the buttons in place... and then it turned out that Milord could fit his hand through the cuff even when it was "buttoned" shut... so it looks like I'm just going to sew the buttons on, fixed permanently.  Unless I just feel inspired.

[DragonWing]

Oh my, the trials and tribulations of garment making.

[gem]

Well, I was just sailing along, sewing happily, feeling pretty confident I'd be done in time... and then as I was whipstitching the first cuff facing down, I happened to catch a glimpse of the unhemmed bottom edge.  I don't know where my brain went during the process, although I think I was concentrating so much on the structural elements of building the garment that "little" things like hemming just went POOF!